Hearts Broken
by 10Blue10
Summary: (Heart Bind Saga AU) Toothless still heart binds to Hiccup, saving his life, but this time they don't escape from Hauke and his cruel hunters. Captured, enslaved, left for dead by their friends and family, all they have is each other - not even Hiccup's unlikely new friend will help them. Hiccup is determined to escape and go home, and Hauke is just as determined to break him...
1. Chapter 1 - Failed Escape

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

A/N: So, yeah. Apologies in advance. I've never posted anything like this before, not sure how it's going to go over, we'll see. Hang on tight, it'll be a bumpy ride.

This story is dedicated to Sarah ;)

Hearts, Broken

Chapter One – Failed Escape

It was dark, very dark. He was lying on something hard and cold, and the acrid metallic scent of blood filled his nose. Hiccup wondered if this was the battlefield that fallen warriors went to after they died, to battle to their hearts content and then drink mead in Valhalla served by amply bosomed wenches.

He'd never understood the appeal of that. The battles or the mead. And he already had a… _Note to self, never call Astrid a wench. Valkyrie yes, wench no._

Hiccup felt a cool dry snout nudging at him, a wet tongue sliding over his face. On second thoughts, maybe this wasn't the afterlife. Which of course begged the question, how was he still alive? The last thing he remembered was…

With a great effort, he forced his eyes open, and found Toothless standing over him. The dragon's pupils were blown so wide there was hardly any green iris visible, his mouth curved in a delighted gummy smile.

*You're alive!*

"Did you…did you just… _talk_?" Hiccup whispered, voice hoarse, eyes wide in shock. He swore he'd just heard a voice coming from his dragon, like he'd heard the dragon's thoughts… _what in Thor's name is going on?_

Toothless cringed a bit, and licked at his paw, spitting away whatever was on it – blood? – with a tiny bit of flame. Hiccup sat there, panting. He gingerly reached up to his side. His clothes were bloodstained but…the wound was gone. So was the pain. If he couldn't feel the scar, it wouldn't seem like he'd been stabbed at all. Toothless spoke again. *We need to escape.*

Mind reeling, he nodded. With Toothless' help he struggled to his feet and onto the dragon's back. Toothless reared, bracing his front paws against the dirt, and Hiccup climbed up to stand on his shoulders. He reached up to grab the cold metal of the still open hatch and haul himself out.

Once he'd managed to drag himself through the small space, Hiccup knelt at the edge of the pit and struggled with the heavy latch of the larger grate. The rusted green metal was stiff, and rattled when he pulled on it. Hiccup panicked and tugged harder. In the pit below, Toothless craned his neck to stare anxiously up at his human. Then he saw someone behind Hiccup, and shrieked. *Look out!*

Startled, Hiccup's head jerked up to stare at the dragon. A split second later Toothless' words registered, but by then it was too late. Hiccup gasped as a shadow fell over him and tried to roll away, but a meaty hand shot out and grabbed his upper arm in a vice-like grip. Hiccup squirmed and fought the man's hold with all his strength, but he might as well have the strength of a hatchling for all the good it did. "Argh! Let go of me! _Toothless!_ "

* _Hiccup_!*

* * *

Hauke was in his tent, the largest and most lavishly furnished (relatively speaking) of them all. It was big enough for a small desk, upon which he had laid out all of Haddock's personal effects. Leather armour, a compass, small dagger, a sketchbook with maps, a Gronckle iron shield emblazoned with the Night Fury's silhouette…and the item Hauke was currently puzzling over.

It looked like a sword hilt, with a stylised dragon head at one end and a slit on the other. The metal was engraved with small scales for grip. It was beautifully designed, but it didn't actually have a sword…or did it? As Hauke peered into the hollowed part, he could see the glint of metal inside. Curious, he held it up in front of him and pressed a switch on the side.

Instantly, a plume of fire erupted from the hilt, startling him a bit. The flames didn't dissipate, and Hauke realised they were wreathing a collapsible blade. The blade itself was covered in Monstrous Nightmare saliva. "Interesting" he murmured, slowly waving the blade through the air, admiring the way the flames swished around. "You've outdone yourself, Haddock."

There was a commotion outside his tent, and Hauke retracted the sword. "Chief! Chief, you've gotta see this!" a man called to him.

Impatient, Hauke swept aside the tent flap and strode out, demanding "What's going on out here?" Then his eyes fell on the figure being manhandled in front of him; someone Hauke was sure he had recently seen dying. "What the…"

Hiccup struggled in his captor's grip, and glared at Hauke. His eyes fell on Inferno resting in his enemy's hand. "That's mine!"

"Hmm? Oh, this" Hauke noted, raising the hilt to eye level. "Yes, it's quite ingenious, but never mind that. What I want to know is", he ignited the sword and held the tip to Hiccup's chin, forcing the young man to jerk his head away. "How can you still be alive?"

"Yeah, your guess is as good as mine" Hiccup retorted. "Look, just let me fix Toothless' tail fin and then we'll be out of your hair. We'll never…you'll never have to see us again" he insisted, trying to keep a pleading note out of his voice.

Hauke just looked at him as if sizing him up – no, as if he was a yak being sold at market. Hiccup really didn't like the way the man was eyeing him. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Unfortunately for you, I'll have to keep you for a while. You could be useful" Hauke said ominously. He barked out orders to his men. "Bind the prisoner and take him aboard ship. You lot, get the Night Fury out of that pit and into a cage, and muzzle it. We are leaving, _now._ "

The hunters wound rope around Hiccup's wrists and threw another loop around his neck, dragging him away from the camp and down towards the sea. The path down into the crumbling fjord was steep, narrow and winding. Hiccup could barely keep his balance with both hands free, let alone with them tied in front of him and someone yanking on a rope around his neck.

To make matters worse, he felt cold – _really_ cold – in his chest, which was tight and pulling back towards the camp. It actually felt as if he was being pulled in two different directions, an icy hand grabbing and tugging at his heart, the all too real rope scratching against his neck. The urge to escape and get back to Toothless made his blood thunder like stampeding Thunderclaws in his ears.

Halfway down he stumbled, prosthetic catching in a crack, and pitched forwards. Reflexively he threw his hands forward to break his fall, and scratched them on a sharp rock jutting out from the side of the cliff. "Aaah!"

"Move it!" the hunter in front of him snarled, yanking on the rope again. Hiccup staggered, just barely regaining his footing. Inwardly he cursed. If he'd only stumbled a moment later, it might have been the ropes that were cut on the rock. Then he could have torn them away, gotten back to the top – past the hunter who kept poking him with a sword, somehow – and gotten to Toothless.

Inspired, Hiccup looked around for something to cut his ropes on. His gaze fell on a thorny bush, devoid of greenery, stubbornly clinging to the sheer rock wall on his left. Desperate, Hiccup lunged towards it. He lifted his hands and frantically tried to catch the ropes on the thorns, to slice through them. A sharp point jabbed him in the ribs, and he instinctively jerked away.

"Would you stop _doing_ that?!" Hiccup yelled, both to the hunter wielding the sword and the hunter dragging him forwards once more.

"Oh, but it's so much fun" the man behind him grinned cruelly.

They forced him to walk onwards until they'd reached the thin strip of beach at the bottom of the cliff, over which the waves were rolling. The sword guy flashed it in the light of the torch he was carrying in his other hand, signalling the ship. Raised voices drifted across the water from the vessel, and a rowboat was lowered down into the sea.

Anxious, Hiccup looked over his shoulder at the harsh path they'd just descended. Near the top, the flaming heads of more torches bobbed in the darkness. He could make out the hunters painstakingly heaving cages, most empty but a few filled with dragons, down to the shore. His first thought was _Toothless is in one of those._ His second was _Did they really pull all those cages up there just to bring them back down again?_

He didn't understand what was happening. What did Hauke mean, "I'll have to keep you"? "You could be useful"? Useful for what? As ransom? It was the only thing Hiccup could think of. If Hauke knew who he was ( _who else knows?_ ) then perhaps the man knew he was Berk's heir. Thoughts of his father invaded Hiccup's mind and he winced. _Dad, I'm sorry._

The boat neared shore, and the rope around his neck was tugged hard, jarring Hiccup out of his thoughts. The hunters made him wade the short distance to the boat and climb in, pushing him to his knees. With three extra people in the small vessel, it sat low in the water, and some of the waves lapped across the sides, soaking Hiccup even more. He shivered.

"D'you think the chief'd mind if we tied this bolas to the rope round 'is neck and shoved 'im overboard?" the rope-tugger wondered aloud, as if Hiccup wasn't even there. "It'd make the boat a sight easier to move."

"Shut up" said sword-poker, jabbing his companion in the shoulder, though not with the sword, which was aimed at Hiccup instead. "The Chief wants him alive. If he wanted him dead, he'd have just stabbed him again. How _did_ you survive?" the hunter asked Hiccup, who could only shrug.

 _My dragon did something. Toothless did something to me…but what?_

* * *

As they neared the foreboding vessel, Hiccup tried to distract himself from the uncomfortable position he was in by looking at the ship. He hadn't noticed from the air, but this was one of the largest ships he'd ever seen. More bizarrely still, it was covered in dragon-proof metal, and yet it could float. Embossed on the side was the ship's name, the oh so cheerful _**BLACK DEATH**_.

Hiccup had seen ships with metal coats before, but those ships had wood on the outside. Back then, he'd assumed the wood somehow kept the ships above water, even with the extra weight. _Maybe the keel is wooden and that's how it floats_ he pondered. It wouldn't matter if the lowest part of the ship wasn't dragon-proofed – the sea would take care of that.

The boat returned to the side of the ship, and the hunters hauled it up towards the deck. They climbed out, dragging Hiccup with them. The rope-tugger hauled him over to a bollard on the side of the deck and fastened the other end of the rope around Hiccup's neck to it. Then he pulled hard on it and forced the knot further in towards Hiccup's throat. "Just so you don't get any ideas" the man said by way of explanation, before rushing off.

The ship was alive with activity, everyone running around preparing to set sail. Hiccup still didn't know why Hauke was in such a hurry to leave. It didn't seem like the hunters had gotten here long before he did. Unless… _is he worried more of us are coming?_ Hiccup prayed fervently, to any gods that were listening (he'd even take Loki at this point, which was saying something), that this was so.

Right now he was being completely ignored in favour of the preparations, but Hiccup's one attempt made it clear he couldn't tug the rope over his head. Trying not to think about how he'd been tied up like livestock, and how degrading it was, Hiccup turned his eyes skywards. He strained them in search of approaching dragons, his friends, his father, coming to the rescue.

They were coming. They had to be. It wasn't the first time he'd been in a scrape like this, and every time before, the gang had arrived just in the nick of time. _Come on, guys. Come on, where are you?_

The hunters were bringing cages aboard. Most of them were empty, but there were a couple of Nadders and a juvenile Monstrous Nightmare in three of them. Hiccup searched for a glimpse of tell-tale black scales… *Hiccup!* - He heard Toothless, though it didn't quite register, before he saw him. The Night Fury was muzzled once more, staring at him from between the bars of a cage.

"Toothless!" he cried out, relief at seeing his dragon flooding through his chest, banishing the cold. Instinctively, Hiccup tried to move to him, only to be abruptly and harshly stopped by the rope around his neck. All he could do was call across, "Are you okay?!"

*I'm fine!* Toothless called back. It wasn't entirely true; being in a cage wasn't improving his mood any, and he'd long had a distaste for boats…but he was otherwise unharmed. He didn't want to worry Hiccup, but he couldn't block all his emotions from travelling through their newly formed bond to his other half. He could only hope Hiccup didn't realise.

Anger, fear – Hiccup had felt them before, and now they were amplified. He couldn't escape, no matter how hard he struggled Hiccup couldn't get out of the ropes he was bound in. Heart racing, he searched the skies desperately. The other dragons – he could hear them, _talking_ , the young Nightmare crying out.

*Quiet, youngling, quiet!* the Nadder – female, if her voice was anything to go by – urged the Nightmare, who was whimpering so loud it sounded unsettlingly like a child crying. *You'll just make it worse. Calm down, be quiet, please!*

*I'm scared! I don't like this! I want my dam. Mother!* he shrieked at the top of his lungs, *Mother, help me! Help me!*

The hunters surrounded his cage; he burst into flames and spat fire at them through the bars, roaring *Stay away!* A dragon-root arrow struck his shoulder and he screeched, wobbled, collapsed in a heap. Hiccup's heart went out to him; to all of them. He almost wanted to scream as well. _Guys, please, please hurry. I need you. I messed up and I need you!_

There was a hatch in the deck and a crane of some kind, which must have been how they got the dragons in and out of the ship. One by one the cages were wheeled over to the crane, hooked up, and lifted to be lowered into the belly of the ship. Toothless' cage was the last one they came to. The dragon was more frantic than Hiccup had ever seen him, slamming his weight against the door as if trying to knock the latch undone.

Pain burst through Hiccup's shoulder and side, and he winced. Toothless snarled and threw himself against the cage door again. Another aching jolt went through Hiccup's shoulder at the exact same moment. He had no time to question why this would be so; a hunter was aiming a dragon root arrow at Toothless. "Don't shoot!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "It's poison!" He was ignored, of course, but Toothless heard him and the dragon drew his wings up as best he could in the cramped space to shield himself.

The hunter was seconds away from loosing the arrow when the order rang out – "Hold fire!" Caught off guard, he moved the bow and his fingers slipped from the taut string. The arrow shot forwards and ricocheted off one of the bars, prompting the hunter to bite back a curse. All eyes turned to Hauke, who had shouted the order, and then to Hiccup, whom Hauke was staring at.

"What?" Hiccup demanded, hunching his shoulders defensively.

Hauke questioned, "What do you mean, poison?"

That wasn't what he'd expected. "I, uh…the dragon root, it's not…Night Furies react differently. It won't knock him out like other dragons, it hurts him, it might kill him. And…and you need him alive" Hiccup replied. After all, Toothless was a Night Fury, one of the rarest dragons, and Hauke was a dragon hunter. To him, Toothless would be worth more alive than dead, surely.

Hauke nodded thoughtfully. "True…Well then, dragon master. Tame the beast so we can put it below" he commanded.

 _He's not a beast!_ Hiccup wanted to spit at him. What he actually said aloud was "How am I supposed to do that from over here?"

With a very obvious eye roll, Hauke gestured for one of his men to bring Hiccup over. The hunter didn't bother untying him from the bollard, but merely cut through the thick rope with one cleave of a dagger and tugged him forwards. A mad idea flashed into Hiccup's head, of pretending to fail in taming Toothless so Hauke would think them worthless and let them go. _That's never going to work._

He tried it anyway, clutching at straws. "Listen you, dragon!" Hiccup mock-glared at Toothless, trying to sound imperious and arrogant. _Just gotta be like Snotlout…I can't believe I thought that_. "I am your master! So behave, and be quiet, or else…or else!" He tried to say it with conviction, unable to think of, or bring himself to say, any kind of threat.

Fortunately, Toothless caught on quick. He kept growling at Hiccup, even as he said *I'm guessing you _don't_ really want me to behave.*

Hiccup caught himself before he could nod in reply. "Bad dragon! Stop growling or I'll…I'll put an eel in your dinner!" Toothless growled even louder at that. *I know you're joking, but try that and I'll drown you in slobber.*

The hunters were starting to mutter – some were sniggering. "Look, I can't tame him" Hiccup told Hauke, who was watching impatiently. "That's what you want me for, right? Guess I'm no use to you after all. You should just let us go."

"Well, if you can't tame the dragon, perhaps a different means of persuasion is in order" Hauke commented. He nodded subtly to the thug holding the other end of the rope around Hiccup's neck. The man grabbed Hiccup more firmly, wrapping one arm over his chest and the other hand placing the dagger to his throat. Hiccup struggled to no avail.

"You are a terrible liar" Hauke remarked. "Do you take me for a fool, Haddock? The fact that you rode the Night Fury here is proof that you tamed it, that you can tame dragons. And I know how you care for the beast. My men told me how you almost cracked when they so much as spoke of hurting your precious…what was it? Oh, yes. _Toothless_ " he said mockingly.

The hunters laughed and jeered. *Tell that snake bellied son of an eel that I _do_ have teeth and I'll use them to rip him to shreds if he hurts you!* Toothless snarled. Caged and muzzled, there was nothing he could do, and they both knew it. A tiny part of Hiccup's brain wondered, _Did Toothless just swear?!_

"Does it go both ways, I wonder? Your choice, dragon. Submit, or your master dies" Hauke challenged Toothless, who kept growling at him. *Hiccup is my brother* he retorted, though it was meant more for his other half, since only Hiccup could understand him.

Struggling, Hiccup protested, "You can't – you need me alive! You went to all this trouble to bring me aboard!"

Hauke stepped closer, staring at him unnervingly. "There's fear in your eyes" he observed, "but why? However you survived the first time, simply do it again."

"But I didn't – I told you, I don't know what happened!"

"Then you will die. Between you and your Night Fury, the dragon is worth its weight in gold, whilst you are…a valuable accessory. I could do without you" Hauke shrugged. He looked back at Toothless, and to his satisfaction, noticed that the dragon had ceased growling. "Put the Night Fury below deck" he ordered. The dragon's eyes never left Hiccup until the last moment.

The dagger was lowered from his throat, and Hiccup felt like he could breathe again, although they still didn't release him. "We're ready to sail, Chief" an older man with a greying beard informed him. "Should we haul anchor?"

"Not yet, Gunnhild" replied Hauke, "There's one more matter to attend to. Where is my thrall?" he demanded of the crew at large. A young man, dressed in dirty brown clothes, stepped forwards. He was about Hiccup's age. Hauke beckoned to him, and he gulped, visibly nervous. Hiccup's blood boiled. He was against slaves of any kind, and to judge by this man's downtrodden, harrowed gaze, Hauke didn't treat his well at all.

The hunters made him and the thrall stand back to back. Hauke observed them and nodded, seeming pleased. "Just as I thought – you're the same height, same build…perfect. Take the prisoner's leg and strip him down to his small-clothes" he instructed, much to Hiccup's bewildered alarm.

"What? Hey! Get off me!" Hiccup struggled – not that he'd get very far being held on a freaking leash. It all happened so fast he almost didn't have time to process it. They restrained him, cut through the ropes, yanked his prosthetic off, his trousers, his tunic, and threw him to the deck. Now clothed only in a thin vest and undershorts, Hiccup shivered in the night chill.

It was like before, when they'd stripped him of his armour the better to beat him. Instinctively Hiccup wrapped his arms around himself, to ward off the cold and any blows they tried to land on him. _Try? If they do punch me again the blows'll definitely land_ he thought, and braced himself. His pulse quickened in fear. He didn't want to be beaten up again. It was bad enough the first time.

"Wash your hands and face thoroughly and put all this on. Quickly!" Hauke instructed, shoving a burlap sack with all of Hiccup's clothes in it at the boy, who rushed below deck. The chief worked his jaw impatiently, searching the sky, grey with predawn, for any sign of dragon riders. He was listening for a shout of "Dragons, ho!" from the crow's nest, but so far…

Turning his gaze from the eastern horizon to the boy at his feet, Hauke curled his lips in contempt. Despite not being able to stand, and being so cold goosebumps had appeared on his skin, Hiccup glared up at him defiantly. "I'm almost disappointed" he remarked. "I had heard such great things. How is it that the boy who vanquished a Red Death, the scourge of dragon hunters throughout the archipelago, the son of a great chieftain…is _you_?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Guess I'm not what you were expecting" he retorted through gritted teeth, so as to keep from chattering with the cold. He was _freezing._ A little insulted, too, but also rather glad. It was good that Hauke underestimated him. Almost all of his enemies, and his allies too, had underestimated him at one point or another. Their mistake.

"What do you want with me?" he demanded, since Hauke was there and the one with the answers. He could understand why the hunters would want Toothless, and it wasn't a bad thing that his dragon wasn't being taken away from him…but why was he there? "You said I could be useful. What for?"

"You'd be useful if you learned to hold your tongue, you impertinent brat" Hauke scowled down at him, "it's none of your business. You're as bad as" – but he cut himself off, and stalked away, snapping an order out for the hunters not to speak to the prisoner. Hiccup watched him disappear below deck, shivering violently, praying that rescue was coming, and coming soon.

Suddenly he remembered Sharpshot. His little friend had escaped when he and Toothless were shot down, the Terror had flown off out of sight. Hiccup was sure that Sharpshot would not have abandoned them. If he wasn't here, then he must have followed his training and gone to get help. It was a long way back to Berk, but he would find Astrid and the others if they had followed Hiccup's trail. None of this made sense, and he wanted to go home more and more. _I never should have come here._

* * *

Soon after he'd been sent away, Hauke's thrall returned dressed in Hiccup's clothes and armour. It was surreal to see, and made Hiccup feel like he was having a dream. _More like a nightmare_. He wished fervently to wake from it and find he'd never been stupid enough to fly to Myrkr, that he was still safe in his own bed on Berk. Even as he thought it, Hiccup knew it wasn't true.

"You're probably both wondering what this is about" Hauke commented, "but it's quite simple. You're each other's replacements."

Both Hiccup and the thrall stared at him uncomprehendingly; at a signal from their chief, the hunters surrounded the young slave and gagged him, forcing him to his knees over some crates. "What are you doing to him?" Hiccup demanded, "Leave him alone!"

Nobody listened. Two of the hunters grabbed Hiccup under the arms and hauled him between them, towards the hatch that led down below deck. Struggling, he twisted in their grasp just in time to see a hulking thug of a hunter approach the thrall with an axe in his hand. Hiccup's eyes widened in shock. "No!" he cried out, but it was futile. The axe swung up. He flinched and looked away, but he couldn't block out the terrible _thud_ or the muffled scream, cut off far too soon.

"…You killed him" he gasped, as the hunters dragged him through the ship. Apparently the order not to speak to him was still in effect, for they said nothing. Mind reeling, Hiccup forgot to struggle (not that it would do much good) as they went down companionways and ramps, past sleeping quarters and storerooms. In the bowels of the craft were the dragon cages.

The hunters took him past cell after cell, occupied by dragons they must have caught before coming there. There were roars and snarls on all sides, but Hiccup could hear what the captives were saying as well. *Cowards! Eel-eating worms! Let me out of here and face my wrath!*

*Food! Give me food! I'm starving! Is that human prey? Give it to me!*

"Shut up, ya horrible wretched beasts!" one of the hunters yelled.

At last they came to a cage right towards the prow of the ship. Hiccup recognised the dragon in it immediately, and his heart leapt. "Toothless!"

*Hiccup!* he called back, looking relieved. *Thank the Moon you're here, I was so worried about you!*

The hunters unlocked the cage door and shoved Hiccup inside, locking it behind him and walking away. He fell onto Toothless, who'd leapt forward to catch him, and slid off the dragon onto the deck. He was shivering violently, arms wrapped around himself. "They…they killed…his head, they cut…" A hand went to his neck in frightened sympathy. _He's dead, and I don't even know his name._

 _He's dead because of me._

Desperate for answers to at least one of his questions, Hiccup looked up at Toothless. The dragon had made himself small, and looked guilty. "Toothless…" His mouth was dry; he licked his lips to wet them. "What did you… do to me?"

Toothless whined, ear-flaps pinned back against his skull, pupils wide and sad. *We're heart bound* he replied, *I did it to save your life, I didn't even know if it would work, I panicked. But it has, and now…if one of us dies, so will the other* he revealed. *You'll live as long as I will, and Night Furies can live for…three to four hundred years.*

 _Three to four hundred years._ The words echoed in Hiccup's ears like a war drum. After everything that had happened; getting captured, beaten, taken prisoner…that poor man's execution…this was too much to contemplate. Hiccup was exhausted, starving, and frightened; his eyes rolled back in his skull as he fainted, and the last thing he heard before blackness washed over him was Toothless calling his name…


	2. Chapter 2 - The Horror

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Two – The Horror

Hiccup and Toothless had a several hours head-start on them, but Stoick, absolutely fuming, pushed them to fly west with all haste. He and Skull-Crusher were in the lead, tracking the runaways. Astrid and Stormfly kept up with them on their left side, Snotlout and Hookfang on their right. Fishlegs and Meatlug, the twins with Barf&Belch, brought up the rear.

To call Stoick cross would be a gross understatement. He was _furious._ What in the name of all the gods, of every creature on Midgard, would possess Hiccup to do something so asinine _,_ so reckless, so…boar-headed! _He's just like his mother_ Stoick thought briefly, and winced. Valka and Hiccup were so alike it scared him.

In truth, that was the true reason for his anger; as a front for bone deep terror. Stoick was afraid for his son. He didn't understand how this was happening. Surely, by now the lad ought to know better. Hadn't he outgrown the need to be contrary and insubordinate? Hiccup should have learned his lesson about wandering off by now, should understand that when Stoick forbade him from doing something it was for his own good; but apparently not.

The chief wasn't too pleased with Toothless either. He knew the dragon would do anything for his son, but Toothless ought to have more sense than this. It wasn't like Hiccup had flown himself to Myrkr. Would it really be so hard for the Night Fury to discourage his rider's more foolish exploits, instead of going along with them? Yes, that dragon would die before he let Hiccup come to harm, but that didn't mean that either of them were invincible.

Astrid, too, was scared for Hiccup. She kept up a litany of insults under her breath, preparing for the chewing out she would give him once his father was finished. Really, though, she blamed herself. She _knew_ Hiccup. He'd been so thrilled by the thought of finding more Night Furies; she should have expected him to pull a stupid stunt like this. If she'd been more alert, she could have followed them sooner, or better yet stopped them altogether.

Personally, Astrid wasn't even sure she believed there _were_ any Night Furies in Myrkr. The description that Johann gave certainly sounded like one, but then the trader was known for embellishing his stories, especially the second-hand ones. _I swear, if he's gone all the way to a dangerous unknown land for nothing, I am going to rub it in his stupid face!_

In the end, Stoick's insistence that they fly so fast to make up for lost time would be his downfall. He refused to stop until they'd crossed a huge swathe of featureless ocean and come upon the lonely barren isle known as Nott's Gate. Skull Crusher angled himself down towards the ground, and the other dragons followed his lead, all six of them landing amongst the gorse bushes.

The other riders dismounted to stretch their aching legs, but Stoick remained in the saddle. "Come on!" he shouted. "We don't have time to dawdle. Hiccup isn't here!" The island was tiny, barely more than a flattish patch of rock, and from his perch on Skull's back he could see at a glance that there was no sign of any black Night Fury or disobedient dragon rider.

"Please, Chief" Fishlegs begged meekly, "We all want to find him, but our dragons need a rest. Meatlug's wings are about to fall off!" Beside him, his beloved Gronckle was panting heavily, bumblebee-wings drooping. Stoick cursed under his breath. The dragons had a lot of stamina, but he'd been pushing them at full speed for miles now. It was no wonder they were tired.

"C'mon, old boy" he encouraged, patting Skull Crusher, "you've still got a bit of fight left in you, don't you? We can find Hiccup and Toothless, you and I!"

Skull Crusher breathed hard, snorted, and looked back at him. _I'm tired too_ he seemed to be saying. With a scowl, the Chief dismounted. "Fine! You can have a _short_ rest. Get your dragons sky-worthy as soon as possible; we don't have any time to lose" he instructed sternly. Astrid went to look for a spring or pool to could drink from; the others set about massaging their dragons wing joints.

Stoick didn't want to rest. He wanted to find his son, berate him for going off alone, and then hold him tight and refuse to let go. This incident brought terrible memories back; when Hiccup had been kidnapped by bounty hunters; when Stoick feared he'd lost his son to a cave-in. And now, he couldn't shake the feeling that his only child was in terrible danger, and _needed_ his father.

The dragons and riders alike slaked their burning thirsts with the water trickling from a spring. Wings stretched and thighs rubbed, they took to the air again. Stoick sustained himself with the thought that their destination was not far. Myrkr was just on the horizon; he could see it already, up ahead. Even from the air it looked forbidding, an endless mass of dark firs and glacial mountains.

His attention was drawn away from the not-so-distant form of the land ahead by a smaller, closer fluttering shape. "What in Thor's name…?" It was a Terror – no bird was that colour – and it was clearly in distress. Astrid urged her dragon to intercept it; Stormfly surged forwards, Astrid snatched the little dragon out of the air, and they circled back to fly alongside Stoick once more.

"Sharpshot?!" exclaimed Astrid, recognising the Terror. The miniature dragon's chest rose and fell rapidly; he must have flown fast as he possibly could from Myrkr, poor little guy. He soon caught his breath though, inhaling a huge lungful of air and releasing it again in a shriek. *Hiccup and Toothless caught!*

The humans couldn't understand him, of course, but the dragons could. *Caught? What do you mean, caught?!* Hookfang demanded with a snarl.

* _Caught_! Bad humans, trap Toothless, hurt Hiccup! Dragon hunters!* Sharpshot wailed in distress. Stormfly's spines twitched. Meatlug growled. Hookfang flamed up. B&B hissed. "Something's wrong" Astrid declared, somewhat redundantly. "We have to hurry. Hiccup's in trouble!"

"Go, Skull Crusher!" Stoick roared. He _knew_ that Hiccup was in danger, and they shouldn't have needed the little Terror to tell them that. The Rumblehorn beneath him let out a deafening bellow and charged in midair. _Hold on, son. I'm coming for you._ Stoick prayed to all the gods that he would not be too late.

* * *

They soon reached the shores of Myrkr, finding an inlet with treacherous cliffs. Stoick urged his dragon to follow the scent trail, and ordered the other riders to spread out and search their surroundings for any sign of Hiccup and Toothless' whereabouts. Sharpshot had gotten his second wind; when they were flying towards the shoreline, he disengaged his claws from Stormfly's saddle and dived down to where he'd seen the pair last, crowing as if to say *Follow me!*

Skull Crusher followed Hiccup and Toothless' scent (though he let Sharpshot believe he was leading them) down to a large clearing not far from the cliffs. There were several tents, and and one side of the clearing, a deep pit covered by a grate of dragon-proof metal. Wary, the Rumblehorn circled it, but the Terror flew straight down and flitted about, crying out plaintively.

No hunters emerged from the tents with crossbows loaded, even when Skull Crusher roared in challenge. The dragon landed heavily, and Stoick jumped off his back. "Hiccup!" he shouted, one hand cupped around his mouth, the other unlimbering his axe. There was no reply; not from a human voice, at least.

He stormed through the deserted camp like a man possessed, ripping aside every tent flap to look inside. Each one was empty, but for a sleeping mat; every weapon taken, every man gone. In the largest tent, which must have belonged to the leader since it was the only one with a table, Stoick found a map of the coast of Myrkr. His keen eyes picked out where they were, and then landed on a marked place south of the inlet - _Raudabein_. Blood bone.

He heard Skull Crusher calling to him, but he snatched up the map before he emerged. His dragon was standing by the pit, growling at something inside it. Stoick's heart leapt into his throat. Were Hiccup and Toothless down there? Damn it, that should have been the first place he looked. He rushed over. "What is it, boy? What have you…found…?" Stoick trailed off when he looked down.

There at the bottom of the pit lay Toothless' saddle, harness and scarlet tail-fin, which was ripped and hung in shreds. A terrible foreboding swept over Stoick, turning the air in his lungs to ice. Something was _very, very wrong_. Before he could say anything, before he could even move, he heard the echoes of an anguished scream, and looked up just in time to see a burst of white fire.

* * *

Stormfly and Astrid had flown down the coast and inland a little, but saw nothing of note, so they doubled back. Circling the coast, Stormfly picked up a different trail and dived down towards the shore, following a steep trail on the cliffs of the inlet and the cove at the far end. As they got closer, Astrid spotted a small rowboat on the verge of being dragged away by the waves.

"Over there, Stormfly" she directed the Nadder, who obligingly landed on the sand. At once, Stormfly's large nostrils flared, and she growled. "What's wrong, girl?" Astrid inquired worriedly. Stormfly stalked over to the boat, tilted her head to peer inside it; and leapt back with a shriek, spines flicking up all along her tail. She closed her eyes and shook her head vigorously.

Concerned, Astrid hurried over to investigate. She knew the boat was occupied, but when she looked she saw – "Hiccup!" He was lying face up in the boat, helmet on with the visor down. So relieved was she to find him, that Astrid didn't notice how still his chest was, or the unmistakable scent of blood. That soon changed. She reached out to pull away the helmet; it fell back at the slightest touch, and Astrid stared at what was – or rather _wasn't –_ underneath _._

She _screamed._

Stormfly threw her head back and sent out a white hot flare. *Dead! Dead! Hiccup is dead!* she shrieked, a discordant wail of despair. At her cries, the other dragons turned on their tails and rushed back. They heard what she was screaming. They just didn't believe it.

One by one, the other dragons landed on the beach. "Astrid, what's the matter with you?" Snotlout asked her. She had staggered backwards, away from the boat and its grisly cargo; now she clung to Stormfly as if the dragon was the only thing holding her upright. With a shaking finger, she pointed at the boat in the surf, and Snotlout boldly marched over to investigate what had scared her so.

"Oh, gods." His eyes went wide as plates, the blood draining from his face. "Oh gods, _why_? I think I'm" – his stomach lurched, and he stumbled past the boat to the water's edge, retching.

The twins approached next. Anything that made Astrid tremble and Snotlout throw up had to be worth seeing, right? Oh, how wrong they were. Ruff and Tuff took one look and went chalk white, mouths hanging open. They backed away, gaping wordlessly, with a death grip on each other's hands.

Fishlegs whimpered, wringing his hands. "G-guys? What is it?" he asked nervously, unwilling to see for himself. Snotlout was still throwing up, and the twins shook their heads in silent unison. Astrid though, he heard her say something through her tears, choking on sobs. "Hiccup…no, no… _Hiccup_!"

Frightened, he forced himself to go over and see what was wrong…a single look and he retreated, horrified. Shaking all over, he buried his face in Meatlug's side, not wanting to have one more sight of it. "No, no…it can't be…"

Thus did Stoick find them all, riders in various states of distress and their dragons attempting in vain to comfort them. The little Terror, Sharpshot, leapt from his shoulder and went to hover over a rowboat. He let out a shrill wail that made the hairs on the back of Stoick's neck stand up, dropping out of the sky to land on whatever was in the boat and whimpering loudly.

The feeling of foreboding about his son's whereabouts grew stronger. Everyone was acting as if… _no._ No, it couldn't be! Astrid, still shaking, choked out "Ch-chief… _Hiccup_ …he's…" She shook her head. _No, gods, no, please_ Stoick begged. His feet moved without him telling them to, bringing him towards the boat everyone was avoiding. He didn't want to look, but he did.

At once he dropped to his knees, utterly horrified. They had found Hiccup. Lying in a boat, still as stone. His helmet was there, face up with the eye slits blankly staring, but there was _nothing underneath it._ Shoulders and half a neck, soaked in blood, but the corpse was _headless._ Stoick could barely grasp what he was seeing. His son had been killed. His son had been _beheaded._

The sun had risen. How could that be? It should never rise again. The sun should fall from the sky, the moon should crumble, the stars should go out and the seas should dry up. The whole world ought to end. Stoick's world already had. All because some wretched dragon hunters had the nerve, the yellow bellied gall, to _execute_ … He let out a bellow of inarticulate rage.

"Find them!" he roared, heaving himself to his feet and rounding on the tearful, horror-stricken riders. When they stared at him uncomprehending, Stoick impatiently snapped "the hunters! So I can tear the skulls off every last one of _them_ for what they've done! They might have Toothless, too!" he added as an afterthought. If the Night Fury wasn't here, he must have been taken.

This seemed to galvanise them; Snotlout, the twins and Fishlegs hurriedly climbed back into their saddles. Only Astrid remained dismounted. "I can't…I can't just _leave_ him…" she shook her head, face pale as a new moon. "S-someone needs to…to guard his b-body…let me stay here, Chief. _Please_."

Leaving Astrid and Stormfly on guard, the rest of them flew out to sea, heading in southerly directions. Stoick went due south, Snotlout and the twins south east, and Fishlegs went due east. The winds were blowing that way, had been for a while, so that was the way the hunter's ship must have travelled. The hunters _had_ to still be nearby. _Gods, why did you take my son? Please, let me find his murderers. He didn't deserve this. Let me avenge him_ Stoick prayed fervently. But then, he'd prayed to find Hiccup safe, and that had failed.

All he could think was _why?_ How could this have happened? Why did the Norns, why did cruellest fate have to rip his family from him? First his wife, now his son. What had any of them done to deserve this? _Why did Hiccup have to go to Myrkr?_ Stoick realised now that his son had been more restless than usual back on Berk, out flying Toothless from dawn till dusk, seeing him only at mealtimes.

Had Stoick been too pushy, trying to get Hiccup to take up the mantle of Chief? He believed his son was ready for it, but he hadn't exactly asked for Hiccup's opinion on the matter. Was there something he could have done to prevent this? Would Hiccup have been less willing to take such a risk if Stoick had just insisted that they _all_ go, as a team, instead of forbidding him outright?

Stoick the Vast was not a vengeful man. He was tough and stern, as he needed to be, but vindictiveness was not truly in his nature. Hiccup had inherited his peacekeeping talents from his father, in many ways. Even when Valka had been taken, his first thought had been getting her back, not slaying the dragon who had stolen her away (although that _had_ crossed his mind).

Now, though, it was as though a fire had been set alight inside him. A burning flame of revenge, that would only be doused when the blood of every last dragon hunter who had dared to snuff out his son's life had been spilled. He would make these cowards _pay_ for what they had done. But first he had to find them. He urged Skull Crusher to find the trail, determined to bring justice.

* * *

 _Whoosh –_ _ **kerchunk**_ _–_ "AAAAARGH!" – _crunch crunch crunch crunch –_ _ **crack!**_

"Sons of a half-troll-!" _Whoosh – thunk – crunch crunch crunch – "_ Curse those infernal _vamrs_ (1), those, those… _nithingrs!_ (2) How _dare_ they?! How _could_ they?! How could…" Astrid trailed off, and sank to her knees before her axe where it was sticking out of the sand. Suddenly, she loathed the sight of it. "How could _he_? Hiccup… _why_? Why did you have to go?"

Grief and guilt rose like bile in her throat – like Snotlout, she wanted to throw up. She couldn't get the awful sight out of her mind, and her gaze kept falling, against her will, on the boat. She couldn't see it from here, but…Astrid shuddered. This was all wrong. Hiccup wasn't – he wasn't meant to _die_ , not like this. Not this soon. There was so much they hadn't done together.

Thoughts of never-wills and could-have-beens filled her mind, and Astrid's eyes welled with tears. At first she held them back, but there was nobody around but Stormfly, nobody to judge her, so she let them fall. In a matter of moments, she was sobbing in earnest, kneeling there in the cold sand. Stormfly looked at her human, and her heart fires dulled.

She and Astrid weren't a touchy pair. They weren't always nuzzling each other like Meatlug and Fishlegs did…or Toothless and Hiccup had. She didn't snap or flame at Astrid like Hookfang did to Snotlout, and she didn't have to pull Astrid away to stop her doing something silly, the way B&B had to with the twins. It didn't mean they weren't close. They showed it with their sync in flight, in battle. They were formidable alone, but even more so together.

Now, though, Stormfly realised that Astrid didn't need a fellow warrior – she needed a friend. Someone to be there for her as she grieved, because what had happened was terrible and a wrongness. So the Spike-Tail trudged over to her, settled down in the sand beside her, and folded a wing over Astrid's shoulder. At once, her human let out a fresh sob and turned to cling to her, burying a tearful face in her scales.

The two of them nestled there for a while, Stormfly crooning and purring to soothe her human. Eventually, Astrid pulled away and wiped her eyes on the back of her arm. "Thanks, girl. I needed that" she confessed, giving Stormfly a weak but grateful smile. Stormfly chirped at her. *You're welcome*. The Spike-Tail looked back at Hiccup's dead body and let out a mournful cry.

Sniffling, Astrid heaved in a breath, refusing to look at the hateful sight. She looked sadly at her dragon and murmured, "I know, Stormfly. I…I can't believe he's gone either." Her axe was still embedded in the sand nearby; she didn't want to be touching it, but she couldn't bring herself to just abandon it either.

Stormfly whined plaintively, grieving with her human. Astrid stroked her gently, and murmured, "I miss him too. I wish he'd never come to this wretched place – how could he be so stupid! I just knew one day he'd get himself killed, flying off to Thor-knows-where on his own, this is all his-!"

She choked off, realising what she was saying. "No…I should have stopped him sooner. I should have offered to go with him, or something – I should have known! This is all my fault" she whispered, fresh tears running down her cheeks. Stormfly nuzzled her reassuringly. "Don't go, Stormfly" she begged, feeling vulnerable. "Don't you leave me too."

Stormfly pressed her wing a little bit tighter around her human, watching the boat and Hiccup's body out of the corner of her yellow eye. *Don't worry, Astrid. I'm not going anywhere.*

* * *

Hours passed with no sign of the other riders. Fishlegs was the first to return. "We flew as high as we could, but there was no sign of anything or anyone" he admitted sadly. "It's like they've vanished, whoever they were." He hugged Meatlug, who whined sadly and licked him.

The twins were the next to come back. They said nothing, but shook their heads in unison. Tuffnut sat down on an algae smeared boulder and cried quietly; Ruffnut put an arm around her brother's shoulders in a rare display of support, her face pinched and eyes shiny as she fought back tears of her own.

Snotlout came back scowling, eyes red and puffy. "It's not fair!" he shouted, slamming a fist into the nearest surface, which happened to be Hookfang's flank. The dragon took the blow without protest, and Snotlout smoothed his hand over it a moment later. "Sorry, Hooky. I just…ugh! Stupid hunters. Stupid Hiccup. Stupid sand in my eyes…" He rubbed at them and sniffled.

Finally, when dusk was approaching, Stoick returned. Skull Crusher had found no trail, picked up no scent. The other riders were waiting for him; Berk was waiting for him. His people needed him. Stoick had failed, as a husband, as a father…he could not fail as a chief, also. As much as he wanted vengeance, slaying his son's murderers would not bring Hiccup back.

As for Toothless…though Stoick was loathe to admit it, he knew the dragon would die before he let Hiccup come to harm. If his son had been killed, then Toothless was surely dead as well. Still, if there was even the smallest chance that the Night Fury was alive – he was, after all, a rare and valuable dragon – Stoick had a duty to try and find him. It was what Hiccup would have wanted.

Gods, had he cried out for his father before they…? Had he thought no-one was coming for him? _I'm sorry, son. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't save you. I wasn't there when you needed me. I swear, I will avenge you, and I'll rescue Toothless if I can. If he's out there, Hiccup, I will bring your dragon home._

"Chief?" Astrid asked in a small voice. Stoick's face seemed hewn from stone, but his eyes were heavy with grief. "What…what do we do now?"

For a long moment, he said nothing. Finally, he turned to Fishlegs and told him, "There's a clearing back there, with tents and a deep pit. Toothless'…saddle and tail fin were left there, and your Gronckle is the only one who can get in and out of the hole. Go and fetch them" he instructed. Fishlegs nodded quickly and mounted up; Meatlug took to the air and buzzed away.

They soon returned with the saddle and tail-fin. Stoick took them from him and forced himself to move towards the boat. "Wait!" cried Astrid, rushing forwards. She knelt beside the boat, doing her best not to look at the body too closely. When she turned around, she was holding his prosthetic.

"I…I just wanted to keep a part of him with me" she explained. "Oh, but…you're his dad, you should…" she held it out to Stoick, but he pushed it back towards her. He could barely stand to look it, too many memories came back at the sight, now tainted with the cold ache of loss. Astrid swallowed hard, nodded, and moved aside, clutching the peg leg to her chest tightly.

Solemnly, the Chief laid the saddle and tail-fin atop the body's unmoving chest. Unable to stand the sight of it a moment longer, Stoick did something the other riders did not expect. He unclipped and shed his bearskin cloak. They had never seen him without it, and when it no longer hung from his shoulders, Stoick the Vast looked smaller. He draped the fur over the body, hiding it from view.

Sharpshot had been perched on the edge of the boat, keening. Now he flew to the Chief's shoulder, and nuzzled his cheek sadly. Stoick made no move to brush him away. They pushed the boat out to sea, wading out far enough for the current to take it away from the shore. Then they mounted their dragons, flew up and surrounded the boat, hovering above it.

As the chief, and Hiccup's father, it fell to Stoick to give the funeral rites. He never wanted to say these words. "May the Valkyries welcome you…and lead you through Odin's great battlefield, to the Halls of Valhalla. May they sing your name with love and fury…so that we may hear it, and know that you've taken your rightful place, at the table of kings…For a great Viking has fallen. A hero…a warrior…a rider…a son", this last a pained whisper.

They had no flaming arrows to set the boat alight, but they had dragonfire, and that seemed more fitting. Hiccup would never have wanted a regular funeral. Skull Crusher shot a small fireball at the boat, and all the other dragons fired on it as well. As the small rowboat with its heartbreaking cargo went up in flames and smoke, the riders watched the conflagration through their tears, as the dragons roared in despair.

* * *

Rain was falling hard when they finally made it back to Berk. Even so, everyone in the village came out to see them. The absence of Hiccup and Toothless' was noticed immediately, as was Stoick's missing cape. The villagers murmured worriedly. They asked questions, but Stoick answered none of them; he pushed past everyone and went inside his house, shutting the door behind him.

Gobber approached the other riders, brow furrowed in concern. "Astrid, lass? What happened out there? Where are…?" He trailed off and stared in disbelief, as Astrid raised a tear-stained face to him and wordlessly held up Hiccup's leg.

The blacksmith gasped at the sight. It could only mean one thing. "…How?"

Astrid shook her head, unable to speak. Snotlout replied, through gritted teeth, "Fucking hunters."

Gobber swore even more colourfully on the inside. _Hiccup's been killed_. And if his apprentice was gone, then Toothless must also be lost; like Stoick, he knew that dragon would rather die than let his human be hurt. "I'm sorry, Astrid. All of you" Gobber told the riders, "now if you'll excuse me, I have something in my eyes…" With that, he turned away and retreated into Hiccup's workshop to cry.

* * *

The first thing Stoick did was lock his door, and close all the shutters. He lit a few candles to see by; he couldn't bear to light a fire, not after he'd seen his son's funeral pyre set ablaze. He took one of the candles, and carried it upstairs, slowly pushing open the door of Hiccup's room. It looked just like he'd left it, as if he was going to come back any moment to work on a project or have a nap.

It didn't feel real. He had seen the body, burned it, but he still couldn't believe that Hiccup was really gone. After everything they'd been through; there was so much Stoick still had to teach him, so much he still had to learn from him, about him. His son was stubborn and brave and impossible and utterly brilliant, and now he was gone. Stoick sat down heavily on the edge of Hiccup's bed.

He pulled a crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket. It was the note Hiccup had written before he left, but Stoick had not read it. He did so now.

 _Sorry dad, but I'm going to Myrkr. This could be my one chance to find more Night Furies and I can't give that up. I've got Toothless and Sharpshot with me, and I'll be careful. You can ground me as long as you want when I get back. If I can help Toothless reunite with his own kind, it'll be worth it. Love, Hiccup._

The parchment became stained with drops of water; Stoick moved it, so his falling tears would not make the charcoal run and get rid of his son's last words. He could still hear Hiccup's voice in his head. Stoick set the candle and paper aside, took off his helmet and buried his face in his hands. With nobody to see, he wept, mourning the harsh loss of his beloved child.

"Val…" he whispered to the ghosts that would forevermore plague this house, "I'm sorry. Please…if he's with you…take care of our boy."

* * *

(1) Vamr – loathsome person.

(2) Nithingr – villain, vile person.

So…are your hearts breaking yet?


	3. Chapter 3 - Waking Nightmare

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Three – Waking Nightmare

Hiccup looked around, disoriented and scared. He…he was on the ship, trapped on Hauke's ship, outside the cage. Where was Toothless? "Toothless!" he called at the top of his lungs. His friend would hear him. "Toothless! Where are you?!"

He heard a noise behind him and spun around. That man – Hauke's thrall – was standing there. Hadn't he been at that end of the companionway a moment ago? Hiccup didn't dwell on that – he was more preoccupied by the fact that the figure had no head. It began to walk towards him. Hiccup turned and fled. He rushed through the ship, seeing no one, and had no clue where he was going.

He turned a corner and saw the figure running towards him. Hiccup skidded to a stop and turned back, but the door he'd just come through – had he come through it? He couldn't remember – had shut and locked. He yanked on the handle and hammered his fists against it uselessly. Then he turned and saw the headless figure standing there, braced as if to fight.

"I'm sorry! Please, I'm sorry, I didn't…I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I didn't know they'd kill you, I never meant for anyone to die, I'm sorry…" Hiccup trailed off, a chill running down his spine when he realised that the figure was mimicking his gestures exactly. He raised his hand. The figure did likewise. He tapped his foot. The figure did the same thing, at the same time.

Heart in his mouth, Hiccup slowly approached the figure. It came nearer too. He reached out a trembling hand, as did the figure, and his fingers touched…glass. The clearest glass he'd ever seen. He'd been running from his own reflection…but it had no head…Shakily, Hiccup reached a hand up, not taking his eyes off his hand in the mirror. He felt for his head. There was nothing there.

Somehow, despite not having a head and therefore no mouth, Hiccup let out an ear-splitting, terrified scream.

* * *

*Hiccup! Hiccup!*

"Aaaaaah!" Hiccup jerked awake, gasping, and clutched at his head and neck. Yes, head, neck, shoulders, all still attached. Shaking all over, his breaths came rapidly, heart beating so fast it felt like it would burst out of his chest. Toothless crooned gently and pressed his snout to Hiccup's chest, just under his chin. *Breathe, Hiccup. It's okay. Deep breaths* he encouraged, purring.

Still trembling, Hiccup clung to the dragon and shuddered. He shut his eyes, but all he could see was that poor man's body. _Oh, gods…they're all gonna think I'm dead. I can't let them…l have to get out. I have to go home_. Eyes open but unseeing, he held onto Toothless like a lifeline. A wing was folded over him and Toothless kept crooning. *It's okay. I'm here. It was just a bad dream.*

At last, Hiccup remembered what had happened before he…he must have fainted. Their capture, getting stabbed – he flinched reflexively – reviving, being dragged onto the ship, having his clothes taken away, that poor man…he'd just had a nightmare, but Hiccup felt like he'd woken from one into another. This one was much worse though, because it was real.

He sat back, wrapping his arms around himself. Toothless' wing stayed wrapped around him as well. He met the dragon's green eyes. "Toothless…you can…talk."

*Yes* his friend agreed. Toothless' voice was deep and warm and full of concern. *Is that okay?*

Hiccup bit his lip and nodded. "We're…heart bound" he murmured, recalling what Toothless had said. _If one of us dies, so does the other. You'll live as long as I do. Night Furies can live for three or four hundred years._

Toothless' gaze slid away in shame. *I'm sorry* he whined apologetically, feeling guilt coiling like _not-to-eat_ eels in his gut. He had wanted to save Hiccup but instead he doomed them both. There was a thick, cloying scent of misery aboard this ship that caught in his throat and made him want to retch.

Hiccup reached out, pressed a hand to his cheek, taking care not to touch the awful muzzle he still had on. "Hey, no, it's okay. I'm not upset. I was just surprised, that's all" he said, thinking Toothless must have taken him fainting the wrong way. The dragon's eyes were big and vulnerable. *You're not angry?*

"How could I be? You saved my life. This", Hiccup gestured with his free hand at the cage they were trapped in, "isn't your fault…it's mine." He hung his head. "This never would've happened if I hadn't been such a…a selfish idiot. What was I _thinking_?"

Moaning sympathetically, Toothless tried to nuzzle and comfort his human; but Hiccup flinched away. He hunched his shoulders and curled in on himself, frowning deeply at the deck beneath them. Inwardly he berated himself for being so reckless and stupid, but then he stopped when he heard a small, pained noise from Toothless. Immediately, he looked up, worried for his friend.

"You okay, bud? Are you hurt?" he asked. Scowling at the hateful muzzle, he reached out to try and and take it off. "I can't stand seeing you like this." Toothless pulled back, and Hiccup felt a pang in his heart. "Toothless?"

The dragon whined. *Hiccup, please don't do this. Not here. Not now.*

Hiccup's brow furrowed. "Don't do what?" he whispered.

*Please don't shut me out* Toothless begged him, eyes wide and full of sorrow. *You used to tell me everything, when you were younger, you'd let me help you, but then…I don't know why, you started…pushing me away, like you didn't need me…* He was whimpering now, and each small sound was like a knife in Hiccup's heart. Unbidden, memories from ages ago rushed into his head.

 _Sitting on a sea stack, Toothless trying to cuddle up to him, he pushing the dragon's head aside. "Not now, bud. Sorry. Just too much on my mind."_

 _The Great Hall, worried about his father, Toothless trying to nuzzle him. "Not, not now, bud. I appreciate the effort, but just not now_."

 _Frustrated with his friends ramblings, yelling at them all. "None of this would have happened…if I had never shot Toothless down in the first place. You know it, I know, it, Berk knows it, everyone knows it! Even_ he _knows it!"_

"Oh, gods" Hiccup whispered, eyes wide. All those times his best friend had tried to comfort him, and he'd been so wrapped up in himself he'd rebuffed Toothless…made him feel unwanted… "I'm sorry, bud. I'm so, so sorry" he apologised, meeting his friends gaze earnestly. "You're just trying to help, and I…I don't mean to shut you out. I just…I don't deserve to be…"

Crooning gently, lovingly, Toothless pulled him closer with a wing. *Yes, you do* he insisted. This time Hiccup didn't resist, instead wrapping his arms around the dragons neck. "I won't shut you out" he whispered, "not anymore. I promise. I'm sorry…for everything."

Toothless pressed a paw against his back and held him close. *I forgive you* he said, simple and honest. Hiccup clung to him tighter. Toothless forgave him, and he was grateful for it…but he didn't think he could ever forgive himself.

They stayed like that for a few moments more, holding each other. Toothless' ear-flaps pricked. He could hear footsteps. *Someone's coming* he warned, turning to the bars of the cell door. They watched warily, and Toothless began to growl. The sound was low and menacing, but Hiccup didn't feel afraid. He felt safe. Taking a breath to steel himself, he used Toothless as a crutch to stand.

A hunter appeared outside the cell, with a crossbow strapped to his back. "You're awake, then" he noted gruffly. "'Bout time." With a rusted key, he unlocked a grate set into the bars, and chucked a wadded up ball of fabric through the gap. "Put those on, quick, and tell me when you're done" the hunter ordered, locking the hatch up again and turning his back on them. Hiccup frowned. They were…giving him clothes?

Toothless swept the pile closer with his tail. Shooting the dragon a grateful look, Hiccup knelt down carefully and picked up the first bit of clothing. It was a dirty brown tunic, and as he shook it out, Hiccup realised it was familiar, and dropped it like it had burned him. "I can't…I'm not wearing this" he refused. "This is what he was wearing, that poor man you guys murdered."

The hunter shrugged. "They're your clothes now. The only ones you're gonna get, so unless you wanna go out on deck in your underclothes, I suggest you get dressed, thrall" he prompted.

"I'm not a thrall."

"Sure", the man snorted dismissively, "keep tellin' yourself that, if it makes ya feel better. Hurry up. I don't got all day."

Given the choice between putting the thrall's clothes on, and freezing, Hiccup reluctantly chose the former. The tunic was slightly too tight, and pinched around his arms. He had to undo and retie the knot in the makeshift belt of the trousers, a length of coarse rope. Hiccup felt decidedly uncomfortable, not least because he was wearing the garb of a dead man.

Lastly, there was the prosthetic; a plain wooden stick, with a cup for his stump and more rope to tie it to the rest of his leg. There was no wadding to cushion it with, and Hiccup knew his stump would chafe against the wood like crazy. But the left leg of the trousers hadn't been cut off, and he managed to fold and tuck it into the stump, wrapping the strings around his leg and tying secure knots.

"You done, yet?" the hunter demanded impatiently. With Toothless' help, Hiccup stood up and took a few tentative steps, just to make sure he could.

"Now what?"

The man turned around. "Now, you make sure that dragon o' yours don't try anything, and come with me. The chief sent me to get you."

Going to Hauke was the last thing Hiccup wanted to do. Toothless placed himself between Hiccup and the hunter, snarling at the latter. "I'm not leaving Toothless" his human refused, pressing a hand to the back of Toothless' neck.

"Stubborn brat" the hunter scowled. He spat on the ground. "Look, either you be a good boy and come quiet like, or I'll fire this bow, knock your scaly guard dog out and drag you out o' that cage myself. So what's it gonna be?"

Hiccup gritted his teeth in frustration. He didn't want to just be 'a good boy' and do what the hunter said, but if he refused, they'd bring him to Hauke anyway, probably in shackles, and Toothless would suffer. Suddenly, Hiccup had an idea. "I'll come if you let me take this muzzle off of Toothless first" he insisted.

The hunter scowled at him. "Chief never said we could. Sure, I let you take the beasts muzzle off so he can attack me and you can make a break for it, I don't think so. What were you gonna do, jump off the side and _swim_ away?" he scoffed. "'Sides, I don't have the key."

Hiccup glared at him. As much as he hated to admit it, the hunter was right; they couldn't fly. Still, if it weren't for the freezing water, and the fact that they'd get picked off easily, Hiccup would almost want to risk swimming for it. "If we can't get away, what's the harm in taking the muzzle off?" he challenged.

"The dragon ain't losing the muzzle, Chief's orders. Right, that's it. You had your chance, brat" the man declared, unslinging the crossbow and taking aim. Without thought, Hiccup stepped between the arrow and his dragon, arms outstretched. Toothless moved to knock Hiccup aside. The hunter scowled. "Get outta the way!"

"I'll come with you – but only if Toothless isn't harmed whilst I'm gone."

Toothless growl-whined in protest. *Hiccup, don't go. I can't protect you if you're out there!*

With a sad sigh, Hiccup stroked Toothless' head. "I'm sorry. I don't think we have much choice. Besides, maybe I can learn something." _Like what's going on, or a way to escape._ Hiccup faced the hunter again. "So. Do we have a deal?"

"I don't make deals with thralls" the hunter snapped. Then he shrugged. "But if it shuts you up, then sure. We won't hurt your pet. Now stop dawdling and move it" he scowled, unlocking the cage door. Hiccup squared his shoulders, gave Toothless one last pat, and stepped out, chin held high. "Don't worry, bud. I'll be back soon…probably."

*And I'll be here* the Night Fury replied glumly. *Definitely.*

The hunter led him down the companionway. "By the way, Chief said if you try to make a run for it, whoever catches you gets to beat you to a pulp."

"Good to know" Hiccup replied sarcastically. His bruises were still stinging.

* * *

The hunter strode with purpose through the ship, leaving Hiccup to keep pace as best he could. He was limping; the wooden peg felt stiff and awkward to walk on. Hiccup missed his proper peg, that gave way slightly to cushion each step. It was probably at the bottom of the ocean by now.

The crewmen they passed acted as if he wasn't even there, brushing him aside with annoyed grunts. Walking on this peg would be bad enough on dry land, but the boat heaved and rocked in the swell. Hiccup struggled to keep his balance, stumbling and having to hold onto the wall. "Slow down!" he insisted, panting, as he staggered around a corner.

The hunter stopped and looked back at him. "You know what the best way to get your sea legs is? Using 'em. Now move it!" He grabbed Hiccup by the upper arm and hauled him along, pushing him up ladders and yanking him out of the way of anyone coming the other direction. Hiccup struggled to wrench his arm out of the hunter's grip, forced to move at a trot just to keep from falling.

Finally, they arrived at Hauke's cabin. "Enter", the man's voice floated through the door when the hunter knocked. He opened the door. Warily, Hiccup stepped inside, only for the hunter to press a heavy hand on his shoulder and force him to his knees. Hauke stood up from his chair behind his desk and walked around to the front of it, looking down at Hiccup, who glared up at him.

"Sorry it took so long, Chief. Stupid whelp was being stubborn."

"I thought he might be. Did you have a nice nap?" Hauke inquired rhetorically. "Let me be the first to say, 'welcome aboard'."

"It's been a pretty rubbish welcome so far. Ow!" Hiccup cried out when the hunter reached down and cuffed him around the head. "What the…?"

"Shut up! You don't speak unless he asks you a question, _thrall_." The man made to hit him again, but Hauke cleared his throat pointedly.

"I can discipline my own slave, thank you."

"Yes, Chief. Sorry, Chief."

"You do have a point, though. _You_ ought to learn to curb your tongue in the presence of your superiors" Hauke said to Hiccup.

"Well, I wouldn't know, cos where I come from we aren't barbaric enough to keep people as slaves" Hiccup retorted. He tensed slightly, expecting a blow.

"Why you insolent-!"

"Enough! Wait outside."

"But, sir, he"-

"One unarmed crippled boy is not a threat. Now _leave_ " Hauke ordered, eyes narrowed. The hunter stiffened. He saluted, shot Hiccup one last disgusted look, and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"You won't get away with this" Hiccup said defiantly, as soon as the hunter had left. "My dad rides a Rumblehorn, they can track anything! I bet he's heading towards here right now."

Hauke looked unimpressed. "I doubt that. My old thrall was wearing your clothes, covered with your scent, and the winds were blowing southwards. The same direction as my village, incidentally. I'm sure the map I left in my tent will give your father a great clue as to your whereabouts…or perhaps not."

Frowning, Hiccup protested "If the wind is blowing south, then the ship has to be going south as well."

"You would think so, but no. We are heading north."

"But that's impossible! There's no way you could row a ship this large against a headwind, it would be too slow" Hiccup insisted. _Which means the others might be able to catch up!_

"Humans couldn't drive the ship against a headwind" Hauke corrected. "Whilst you slept we left that fjord far behind. Face it, boy; nobody is coming for you. You're dead to them" he said cruelly. Hiccup said nothing, just glared fiercely. _Enjoy my leniency whilst it lasts, Haddock_ thought Hauke, _I intend to break you in, one way or another._

"As I said, you and he have replaced each other. My old thrall was killed in your place, and you are his successor. You will be put to work. You will follow orders. You will address my men as 'sir' and the womenfolk in the galley as 'ma'am'. You will address _me_ as 'master'."

"I am _not_ going to do that!" Hiccup shouted, leaping to his feet. "I'll train the dragons if I have to, but I'm not gonna be your - your errand boy! Who the Hel do you think you are? Who do you think I am?" he demanded, utterly indignant.

"I believe I just told you. I am your master and you are my thrall. For now, at least. When we reach our rendezvous point, I intend to sell you and the Night Fury to my employer. I get the gold and prestige, he gets a rare, powerful dragon for his army, and you get to stay with your friend. Or perhaps he'll simply kill you. Who can say?"

Desperately, Hiccup switched tactics. "You don't have to do this" he insisted, "all the gold you'd get from, from selling us, my dad will pay that much - no, twice that much to get us back. You took my maps. Just turn around, sail to Berk and hold us for ransom." He knew it wasn't the best plan, but getting them ransomed back was a chance to end this bloodlessly. He'd make it up to Stoick- somehow – for costing them Berk's gold. Again.

"Ah. So your father has five poundsworth of gold lying around, has he?"

Hiccup struggled to keep doubt from showing on his face. He knew Berk didn't have that much gold. "He'd get the gold…somehow" he insisted, trying to sound confident. "Besides, if my tribe thinks I'm dead, they'll declare war on yours, and _we_ have _dragons_ " he pointed out challengingly.

"I considered that, which is why I sent a messenger hawk back to my village to warn them a hostile tribe of dragon riding Vikings might be coming to attack."

 _What is with this guy?_ Hiccup stared Hauke down, with all the defiance he could muster. He would _not_ break. He would _not_ kowtow or grovel or submit. He was _not_ Hauke's thrall. He was _not_ a slave!

The older man glared at him, and clapped a hand on his shoulder, trying to force him to his knees again. Hiccup had been expecting that and resisted. He wasn't prepared for a punch in the stomach though. Groaning, he doubled over, and Hauke shoved him down. "You are a very stubborn, foolish boy."

Panting, Hiccup clutched his stomach and glared up at the man, but didn't try to rise again. "It's a Berk thing."

"Or perhaps your father should have had a firmer hand when raising you" Hauke remarked, "then maybe you wouldn't have been so eager to go to Myrkr. Remember, Haddock; you brought this on yourself" he declared. Hiccup felt guilt bite at him inside, thinking of the man who had been killed, and the grief his father and friends would feel at his loss. _This is all my fault…._

No. He would take responsibility for going to Myrkr, but it was Hauke's fault he and Toothless had been taken, Hauke's fault that poor man had died.

"Since you tried to bargain with me, let me turn the tables. Obey orders, don't try to escape, and I will allow you to sleep with the Night Fury in its cell. Disobey orders, or try to escape, and not only will you be beaten, you will be made to spend the night in the barracks with the crew. I can assure you it will not be a pleasant experience. Do you understand, thrall?"

The thought of being apart from Toothless that long made Hiccup's chest feel tight and cold. Getting punched he could handle; but he didn't _want_ to get beaten up. He didn't want to be around the people who had worked him over, and dragged him on a rope like a yak. He wanted to stay with Toothless. He didn't want to just obey, though; he loathed Hauke for making him choose.

 _I've been selfish enough already. Toothless needs me._ "I understand" he said reluctantly. Hauke raised an expectant eyebrow, but Hiccup refused to call him… that word, so he compromised. "I understand, _sir_ " he corrected, through gritted teeth. Without thinking, he braced for a blow.

Fortunately, Hauke didn't comment on it, or hit him. "There is one more thing. Have you figured out, yet, exactly how you managed to survive being stabbed?"

"No… sir" Hiccup replied firmly. It was a lie, and he did his best not to show that. He knew in his bones that he could not tell Hauke about being heart bound.

Hauke regarded him impassively for a long moment. "Very well. Let me know when you do. Now, since I'm in a good mood, I will allow you to ask a question. Just one question, so choose wisely" he advised.

Numerous questions crowded into Hiccup's mind. _Who is your employer? How do you know so much about me? Why does Toothless have to wear that awful muzzle? Do you have any idea how much trouble you'll be in once I get rescued or escape?_ "What was his name?" Hiccup found himself asking. "That man you murdered. Did you even know his name, or did you just call him 'th'" –

"Sigurd. His name was Sigurd. Now, if that's all, stand aside" he instructed. Hiccup got back to his feet – well, foot – and stepped out of the way. Hauke opened the door to his cabin, grabbed Hiccup by the shoulder, and pushed him out of it. The hunter waiting outside tried to look as if he hadn't just been leaning against the wall. "Show him his chores" Hauke ordered. "You know what to do if he resists."

* * *

Hiccup followed the hunter away from Hauke's cabin and back into the labyrinthine depths of the ship. "Now look here, you stubborn brat. We ain't here to babysit ya, so you'd better listen cos I'm only gonna tell you this stuff once, got it? And if you refuse or complain or screw up, we're gonna" –

"Beat me to a pulp, I know" Hiccup responded, before he could stop himself. Moving far more quickly than a man of his size should be able to, the hunter whirled and slammed Hiccup against the bulkhead, pinning him there with an arm on his chest. Winded, Hiccup struggled, but he couldn't get away.

"You want I should start right now?" he demanded. "Lesson one – stop talking back. You need to learn to keep your smart mouth shut, _thrall_. Understand?"

Grimacing at the stench of the man's bad breath, Hiccup grudgingly replied "Yes, sir." _I understand you're a violent bastard._

The hunter glared at him for a few more seconds, then released him. Hiccup rubbed his chest and glared daggers at the back of the man's skull as he strode off. He and Toothless really, really needed to get out of here.

They went past the cabins of the higher ranking crew members and the bridge, down to the sleeping quarters and the galley at the bow of the ship. A myriad of odours filled the place and Hiccup's nose; the reek of raw fish, a smoky tang, the assorted scents of cooking and leftover food. The smell made Hiccup's mouth water; it wasn't the most appetising aroma, but he was _so hungry._ His stomach rumbled loudly. Hiccup winced and pressed a hand against it, hoping the hunter wouldn't notice. But also sort of hoping he would.

"What was that?"

"I, uh…"

"Spit it out!"

"I'm starving" he said quickly. Swallowing his pride; he was desperate for something to eat; Hiccup asked "Can I please have some food?...sir" he added reluctantly, the word tasting sour on his tongue.

Hiccup almost expected to be refused, so he was surprised when the hunter replied, "Oh, sure, since you asked nice. Oi, Onarr!" he yelled, and a young man with close cropped ginger hair nearby looked up from where he was rubbing salt into pork. "Got some fresh meat here; says he's hungry. Get him summat to gnaw on."

Onarr looked at Hiccup, did a double take, and narrowed his eyes. "Yes, sir" he replied, heading off, giving Hiccup an unusually hostile look as he went. Hiccup watched him go, wondering what he could have possibly done to earn the man's ire. Did everyone on this ship but Toothless despise him?

The hunter led Hiccup over to the far end of the galley, and explained, "You'll come here first thing in the morning to help prepare breakfast for the crew. You take the Chief's breakfast to his cabin and do your chores there – you _were_ payin' attention to how t' get from here to there, weren't ya?"

"Yes" Hiccup answered. It wasn't as if it was a complicated route. The hunter cuffed him round the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You didn't call me 'sir'."

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me – ow!" He flinched as he was cuffed again.

"And what did I tell you before 'bout being a smart mouth?" the hunter – on impulse, Hiccup decided to think of him as Cuffer - demanded. "You come here first thing, you take the Chief his breakfast, you do whatever he tells you to do. I'll give ya one more chance. Do you get all that, thrall?"

Giving the man a look of deepest loathing, Hiccup answered, "Yes, _sir._ " He made a mental note to spit in all of Hauke's meals at the first opportunity.

"Once the Chief is finished with his breakfast, you bring the dish back here to be washed, and then you gut and bone the fish we've trawled for overnight. The fish we eat goes here, on the smoking-racks. The guts and fish we don't eat goes in these" he said, gesturing to a couple of large wooden pails, filled to the brim with fishy chum. The handles were hooked over a long wooden spear.

Cuffer noticed something behind Hiccup and smirked cruelly. "Ah, now this oughta shut you up for a while. Breakfast is served" he said mockingly. Hiccup turned to find Onarr holding a single sea biscuit out to him. He took it hesitantly, and the man walked away without a backwards glance. Hiccup realised at last that Onarr was also dressed in thrall's clothes. Why did the man dislike him so much if they were both in the same predicament? Hiccup tried to take a bite of the biscuit. It was like biting into a rock, and tasted about as appetising.

"What's the matter? Doesn't it meet your expectations, your highness?" Cuffer asked mockingly. "I bet a former heir like yerself is used to better fare."

 _Now that you mention it, yes_ Hiccup thought. Fortunately what self-control he had finally seemed to be kicking in, and he didn't voice it aloud. "I can't eat this…sir" he said, as politely as he could stand to speak. Which wasn't very.

"Go hungry, then" the man grunted, reaching out to take the biscuit from him. Hiccup instinctively recoiled, keeping the food – what little it was – close. The hunter glared and snapped "That's all you're gonna get, so shove it in your gob before I do and _shut up_ , you ungrateful, whining brat."

With no other choice – he'd eaten nothing but that lump of dry bread, and some fish what felt like a lifetime ago, for hours – Hiccup put the biscuit in his mouth. It seemed to suck all the water from his mouth, and it was too large to fit, leaving him feeling embarrassed with the biscuit poking out between his lips.

"Good, now I won't get interrupted no more. Once you've done whatever the chief tells you to do, you come back here, fill these pails up with chum and take 'em down t' the dragons. Go on, then! Breakfast's already late cos you were napping, and them beasts get tetchy on empty stomachs" the hunter remarked, shoving Hiccup towards the pails. "Hurry up" he snapped impatiently.

Hiccup heaved the spear, along with the pails, onto his shoulders. The pails were heavy, but he wasn't as weak as he looked (to the hunters, at least). He wasn't pleased that the dragons only had leftovers to eat, although he supposed he ought to be glad they were given any food at all. Then he remembered that Toothless was still muzzled, and he felt gagged as well.

Cuffer led him into a meshed cage in the bow of the ship. Inside was a pulley; the hunter made him put the pails down and heave on one of the ropes. The section of deck beneath their feet began to lower. _They must have this platform so they can get the fish to the dragons without dragging it through the whole ship. I guess they don't want the smell of raw fish getting everywhere_ Hiccup realised. The engineer in him had to admit it was efficient; part of his mind was already thinking of all the ways Berk could use pulleys like this.

* * *

A cacophony of dragon screeches and roars assaulted Hiccup's ears when they reached the cells on the lower deck. He didn't just hear the dragons shrieking, though. He could understand what they were saying.

*Food! Where is the food?! I'm starving!*

*If these eel-eating lumps of walking flesh don't hurry up I'll eat myself.*

*Do that then, you withered heap of scales. Give the rest of us a break!*

*I wanna go hoooome!*

That last plaintive wail cut Hiccup to the quick. So distracted was he by the dragons plight, he didn't realise the hunter was speaking until the man reached out and cuffed him again. He winced and nearly choked on the biscuit, shooting his assailant an irritated glare. That really hurt, and was _really_ annoying _._

"Listen!" Cuffer snapped at him. He held a key up on a loop of string. "Key. Hatch. Bucket. Trough. You get that, thrall, or is it too complicated for you? Being around dragons for so long, their dumbness must've rubbed off on you."

 _Dragons aren't dumb_ Hiccup wanted to protest, and _neither am I. I got distracted._ He couldn't say any of that, even if there wasn't a dry biscuit wedged in his mouth. Putting the pails on the floor, he took the key from Cuffer and unlocked the small hatch in the door of the first cage. The huge bucket was too heavy for him to lift, so he scooped up a large double handful of chum, grimacing slightly, and dumped it into the hatch.

The dragon – it wasn't one Hiccup had seen before, big and stocky with a large fin on its back – lunged towards the food. "OI!" the hunter yelled, jabbing the spear threateningly at the dragon, who snarled at him. "Shuddup, ya filthy beast. You know the rule!" Cuffer snapped.

Hiccup took the biscuit out of his mouth – after wiping his hands off on the tunic he'd been made to wear - and asked, "What rule?"

"Thought I told you to shut up and _listen_ " Cuffer scowled at him. "I don't wanna repeat myself! I told you the rule on the way down here – was your head up in the clouds, dragon boy? Do I need to punch those daydreams outta your soft, stupid head?" He raised a fist to do just that, and Hiccup ducked.

He knew straightaway that had been a mistake. The hunter shot a hand out, gripped him tightly by the arm and boxed his ears, a blow to each side. Hiccup cried out in pain. "That oughta clean your ears out, whelp. You gonna listen now?" Cuffer demanded, fist curled ready to strike again.

Wincing, Hiccup ground out, "Yes, sir."

" _Good_. The rule is that the dragon has to wait until you count to twenty, at the least, and click your tongue. It's like with any animal – you've gotta show 'em who's boss. I'd've thought you'd know that, mister fancy dragon-tamer."

 _I think your definition of 'taming' and mine are very different_ thought Hiccup. Cuffer made him count to twenty aloud, and then he clicked his tongue, giving the dragon permission to eat. It gulped down the fish. Hiccup had to repeat the process with a Nadder in the opposite cage. "Right" said Cuffer, "then you do it for the next pair of dragons. Think you can manage doing something that simple, thrall?"

 _Stop calling me that. I have a name._ "Yes, sir" Hiccup answered. He hated saying it, but he didn't want to get hit again. Not unless it was worth it.

"Now, a few of the cages have no dragons in 'em, but you still put fish in the troughs. The beasts are out having a nice little fly" Cuffer said, which made no sense. Cuffer grimaced in disgust. "There's dung, though, so once you're done with feeding the dragons, you get a shovel and two more pails, muck out the empty cages, take the pails up to the deck at the _stern_ of the ship, and dump the filth overboard on the _starboard_ side. You wash 'em out thoroughly with seawater and then swab the deck with 'em. You got all that, thrall?"

"Won't mucking the cells out mean opening them?" Hiccup dared to ask. If he could get his hands on the keys…

"Nice try, brat. They're already opened" Cuffer answered. Damn. He should've known it wouldn't be that easy. "You got all that, thrall?"

"….Yes, sir."

"You're learning" Cuffer smirked at him. "Now, I've got better things to do than hold your hand, so you'll be staying down here on your own. Stay out of trouble, and maybe I'll go easy on ya when I come back later to make sure you're still doing what you're told."

With that, he walked back to the pulley-cage, giving Hiccup one last warning glare as he hauled on the rope and disappeared from view. _Good riddance_ thought Hiccup. He looked down at the buckets of chum, and up at the line of dragon cages, and sighed. This was going to be a long day.


	4. Chapter 4 - At Fault

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Four – At Fault

Word of Hiccup's death spread across Berk faster than wildfire. When the dragons learned that their saviours and Alphas in all but name had perished, they lifted their jaws to the sky and howled in keening grief. Soon the entire island was ringing with the mournful wails of dragons, and the racket had everyone else asking what on Midgard was the matter with them.

"They're grieving Hiccup and Toothless" Astrid told the villagers, even as she too kept her hands clamped over her ears to block out the terrible noise. She felt guilty for wanting them to stop, but wish it she did. Of course, once Astrid said that, everyone asked her the one question she didn't want to have to answer.

"How did Hiccup and Toothless die?"

Astrid turned to her friends and fellow riders. They were standing with her, but none of them wanted to be the ones to say it. Ruff and Tuff seemed to have closed themselves off altogether; she hadn't heard them speak a word since they discovered Hiccup's body. Fishlegs was still in tears, huddling close to Meatlug like she'd vanish if he let her go. Snotlout was tense and frowning.

"Didn't Snotlout say hunters killed them?"

"But they've fought hunters plenty of times!"

"Who could get the best of Hiccup and Toothless like that?"

"They'll be coming after us next!"

"Who? Their ghosts?"

"No, you idiot! The dragon hunters!"

They were working themselves up, Vikings and dragons alike; but in Stoick's absence, Spitelout put himself in charge. "Alright, you lot, pipe down!" he yelled at the Vikings. They stopped talking, but the dragons didn't stop roaring. "Argh – can any of you make the scaly beasties shut up?" he asked the riders. Before they could reply, or do anything, Skull Crusher let out an ear-splitting bellow.

The dragons fell silent. "…Right. That's that. Now, Astrid, I know you're very upset" he told her, in what he probably thought was a sympathetic tone. Instead it sounded patronising, and Astrid had to resist the urge to punch him. "But none of us were there. We just want to know what" –

"The only thing you need to know" Astrid cut in, "is that Hiccup is dead. If you knew _how_ he died, you'd never sleep again. I'm going home. Come on, Stormfly." She beckoned to her dragon, and the crowd parted to let them pass. The other riders slunk off home as well, and the rest of the villagers retreated out of the rain. They hoped to have some answers soon.

* * *

As soon as he stepped inside his house, Snotlout found himself dragged into a tight hug by his mother. "Err…ma? You okay?" he asked, stiffly hugging her back. He glanced at his father, expecting a rebuke for this blatant show of un-Viking affection. One came, but it wasn't for him.

"Ach, come on, Bella, don't crowd the boy. He doesn't want your coddling."

"One of his friends has just died" Belladonna retorted, "have a little sympathy, for Freya's sake! That could have been _our_ son not coming home."

"That wouldn't happen" Spitelout denied, shaking his head. Then he placed a hand on Snotlout's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Still, I am glad you're back in one piece, son" he admitted. The word 'piece' made Snotlout think of 'in pieces', and then of Hiccup's corpse – he shuddered. Bella, with her arms still wrapped around him, noticed immediately.

"What is it, Snotlout?" she asked at once, stepping back to look at him. He tried not to look too disappointed; he hadn't realised how much he'd wanted a hug until his ma gave him one. Maybe he could sneak another hug or two when his dad wasn't looking.

"Nothing, ma. It's just…y'know, with Hiccup…" he grimaced.

"Oh, of course", Bella clucked sympathetically, "gods, Stoick must be heartbroken. First Valka, and now Hiccup, the poor lad."

"Aye" Spitelout nodded gravely, "it's a terrible shame. Berk will never be the same without Hiccup, Odin welcome his soul. I take it his Night Fury has gone on to the other side as well, then?" he asked Snotlout, who began to nod, only to pause and frown slightly.

"Well…umm, the thing is, we only found Hiccup's body. All we found of Toothless was his harness and tail-fin, in the hunter's camp. What was left of it, anyway – they'd all disappeared when we got there. They shouldn't have left too long before we arrived, but when we searched for them it was…it was like they'd just vanished. But…the chief thinks they might have Toothless."

"And ye didn't keep searching for the dragon?"

"We did! But we couldn't – I mean, we had to…" Snotlout felt his shoulders hunching defensively. "Gods, this is bad. What am I saying? It's horrible, Hiccup's g-gone and Toothless…we don't even know for sure if he's alive or dead. I mean, he's a _Night Fury_ , maybe one of the last ones…but he'd rather die than let Hiccup get hurt, and if Hiccup's _dead_ and he knows it he might just, y'know…" Snotlout gestured vaguely, but there was no doubt what he meant.

Belladonna and her husband looked askance at each other; neither of them knew what to say to that. Everyone on Berk knew that Hiccup and Toothless were inseparable; it did seem likely, if Hiccup had been killed, that the dragon would pine away without him, if Toothless hadn't already died trying to save his rider. Bella quietly declared she would start cooking dinner, and left the room.

Once his wife was out of earshot, Spitelout decided to get some answers. Astrid hadn't been forthcoming, but he knew his son would be. "Listen, boyo" he said in a low voice, "why don't you tell your old man what you found out there? How did Hiccup actually die?"

Snotlout stiffened. "He…uh…l-like I said, before…hunters did it."

"Aye, I remember, but it seemed like Astrid was hidin' something. If Hiccup was killed, and there's a threat out there that might come to Berk…we have a right to know the truth. Don't you agree, son?" Spitelout pressed the issue.

"W-well, I guess, but – I don't think you wanna know, dad, it was…gruesome…"

"Of course I want ta know" his father said firmly, "or else I wouldn't be asking. We'll keep it just between the two of us. Come on, boyo – don't leave me waiting" he warned, getting impatient.

Snotlout winced at the set of his jaw and hastily answered, "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. But…but you gotta promise not to tell anyone" he insisted, resisting the urge to add 'please'.

"I promise. Swear on my mother's pyre."

"Okay", Snotlout breathed a sigh of relief. He kind of did want to tell someone, if only to get it off his chest. He still shuddered at the mere thought of what they'd… "Astrid f-found it first, the b-body. It was..." He took a deep breath and screwed his eyes shut. _Just say it. Just get it out._ "He'd…been decapitated."

Spitelout's eyes widened. He swore a colourful curse under his breath, one which had Snotlout blushing. "Y-yeah…it looked awful. But, uh, I mean, _I_ wasn't affected, seeing it" he lied, puffing his chest out. He'd never tell his dad that he'd thrown up at the sight, and was likely going to have nightmares for ages after this. Snotlout decided that maybe he'd camp out with Hooky tonight…

"That's my boy. A Jorgenson isn't disturbed by dead bodies" his father declared…then he relented a little, adding "but it isn't pleasant, seeing the body of a fallen friend. Gods know I've had to do that in my time. The important thing", he told Snotlout firmly, "is to remember that he's in Valhalla now. Hmm. Who'd have thought the runt would earn a place there?" Spitelout murmured, more to himself than to his son.

Snotlout heard him anyway, and felt rather uncomfortable. Sure, Hiccup hadn't been a typical Viking warrior - he hadn't been a typical anything – but he'd proven himself. After all those years, he'd proven himself to the village and even, eventually, to Snotlout himself. At some point…he wasn't really sure when…it had changed to _Snotlout_ trying to prove himself to _Hiccup._

"Well…times change?" he shrugged, testing the waters. He didn't know if his dad would be cross at him for talking about something he clearly wasn't meant to acknowledge, or lecture him about how a place in Valhalla was really earned, or admit that Hiccup was worthy of it. Knowing his father, the last didn't seem entirely likely. Spitelout frowned, and Snotlout resisted the urge to cringe.

Finally, his dad nodded slowly, and Snotlout felt himself start to breathe again. "That they have" he agreed, "don't get me wrong, boyo; I'm not saying that Hiccup hasn't earned a place in Valhalla. He brought peace to Berk, after all. Oh, but things will change again, mark my words. There'll have to be a new heir, for one; and who knows? Perhaps we Jorgensons will finally have our reign in the sun, eh?" remarked Spitelout.

Great, now Snotlout felt even more uncomfortable. He'd never say it to his dad's face, but this just seemed seedy, talking about inheriting the chieftainship so soon after the true heir of Berk had died. _Murdered_ his mind whispered, and Snotlout's fist clenched around the handle of his sword. He swore, if he ever got his hands on the cowards that did this… "Maybe we should uh, just let the dust settle before we do anything, ya know? It…it's only been a day."

"Och, aye. There's plenty o' time to mourn and move forward, but move forward we must. Don't let your ma coddle you for this" Spitelout warned, "she means well, I'm sure, but real Vikings like you and I don't need to be comforted in times of tragedy. We are the ones that stand strong, keep our grief to ourselves instead of bewailing it for all to hear. You're going to stay strong, aren't you? To honour Hiccup's memory, of course."

Snotlout sat up straighter, scrubbed the back of his hand over his eyes to rid himself of any stray tear marks. "Yes, dad. I'll be strong for the other's sake."

"And for your own. Grief can get you killed. It clouds judgment. Speaking of which, there's something else I've been meaning to ask you about."

"Yeah, dad?"

"Why exactly did Hiccup and that dragon of his fly off to Thor knows where?" Spitelout asked. "It's pretty obvious he wasn't supposed to."

"Oh…well, uh, you know what he's…was like. Th-thought he knew everything, never listened to anyone – heh, kinda like Hookfang" Snotlout remarked, trying to make light of it. He ignored the voice in his head screaming _too soon, disrespectful_ – like his dad said, they had to move forward. "Uh, Johann told us he'd heard there were Night Furies out there – in Myrkr – and Hiccup's always wanted to find more of Toothless' own kind, so I guess he figured it was worth the risk."

"I'll bet he's not thinking that now" Spitelout retorted. "Not that I don't believe you, boyo, but you got one part wrong. Hiccup didn't fly off to Thor knows where cos he thought it was worth it. No, he went because he thought he could get away with it. And why did he think that? Because Hiccup Haddock got away with everything. Even before he started being the 'Hero of Berk'. All because he was the Chief's son. I mean no disrespect, but if this had never happened, do you think Stoick would have done anything to punish him for flying off?"

Snotlout hesitated. He felt inexplicably bad about thinking it, but…his dad kind of had a point. Even when they were kids, Hiccup – the runt, the screw-up, useless – used to waste everyone's time and supplies with his stupid little projects, and he always got off with nothing more than a lecture from Stoick. Meanwhile, if Snotlout had broken a rule or caused any trouble the slightest bit, out came the rod.

That was good, though! If you did wrong, you deserved to be punished. How else would you learn? Some people – he wouldn't name any names – might say that punishing someone who already felt guilty was pointless and cruel. That it would just make them resentful. Sure, but what happened when they didn't feel guilty anymore? It was like his dad always said. If you let people get away with screwing up, they'll just screw up again.

Damn him, why did Hiccup have to go and get himself killed? Why couldn't they have just caught up with him in time, taken him back to Berk, so everything would just go back to normal? "Snotlout. Snotlout!"

"Huh?" Oh Thor, had his dad been talking to him?

"Welcome back" Spitelout remarked sarcastically. "I asked you a question, son. Weren't you listening?"

"Yes! Yeah, course I was. I uh, just thought it was rhetorical. Um…" he tried to remember what the question was. "I guess not. Stoick probably would have just been happy he was safe." The Chief hadn't spoken a word on the way back from Myrkr, and nobody had dared to say anything to him. A pall of unimaginable sorrow and anger had radiated from the man.

"Oh, for sure; but if that had happened, what would be stopping him from going off alone another time? Abandoning Berk, making poor Stoick abandon Berk to fly after him. It's a great and terrible shame that Hiccup is dead, no doubt about it. His loss will shake Berk to the core. But the sad truth is, though I hate to say it…if Hiccup had been obedient and stayed here where he belonged, this never would have happened" Spitelout declared, with a knowing look.

Technically, his dad wasn't wrong, but Snotlout still felt uncomfortable. "Uh, dad? You're…you're not saying you think he… _deserved_ to get, uh..." Unconsciously, Snotlout's hand went to his throat. An image of Hiccup's lifeless, headless corpse flashed through his mind, and he had to suppress another shudder. Suddenly, he realised that he didn't want to sleep alone tonight. _Move over, Hookfang._

"Of course I'm not" Spitelout huffed, as if offended. "I wouldn't wish such a shameful death on anyone, not even my worst enemy. All I'm saying, son, is that you should take a lesson away from this. Always listen to your elders. We know best, and disobeying could get you killed. And you don't want that, do you?"

"No!"

"That's my boy. I know you'd never fly off to Thor knows where without permission; I raised my son right" Spitelout smiled. The words _unlike Stoick_ weren't spoken, but Snotlout somehow heard them anyway. "I'm hard on you because I care. Remember that." With those parting words, Snotlout left the room, leaving Snotlout with his thoughts. They all kept coming back to Hiccup. Stupid, reckless, irresponsible, spoiled Hiccup. Snotlout had to fight back tears.

Thor damn it. He missed him.

* * *

Hiccup – the real, living Hiccup – was discovering that trying to balance two pails on either end of a pole was indeed a lot harder on a ship than on land. He could feel they were moving astonishingly fast, and the waves buffeted the huge ship, which absorbed a lot of the force but not quite enough. He soon figured out it was easier not to lift the pails at all, but just sort of drag them along the floor.

Since Cuffer wasn't around to make sure he made the dragons wait, Hiccup forewent that excuse for 'training'. Denying the dragons their food, especially when they clearly weren't getting enough anyway, was just cruel. So he let them eat as soon as he'd managed to get the chum into the troughs. He _hated_ that they were caged and forced to eat this slop; Hiccup wanted to escape, but he also wanted to rescue these dragons as well. They didn't deserve this.

As he fed them, Hiccup did his best to earn their trust. "I can understand you" he said over and over. "I'm not one of them. I'd never hurt a dragon. I'm a prisoner too." It seemed that Toothless had already spread the word that they were heart bound – the dragons kept asking if he was *the Swift-Wing's other half* and Toothless was the only dragon he could be the other half of – but he looked, and more importantly smelled like part of the hunter's ship.

They were suspicious. They were angry, frightened, and hopeless. The ones who had been captives for a long time didn't eat, at first, even after he told them it was okay. There were indeed four empty, open cages. From the other dragons he learned that sometimes, the hunters would drag out four of them onto the deck, harness them to chains, and make them tow the ship.

It explained what Cuffer meant when he said the missing dragons were having a fly, and what Hauke had meant when he said that _humans_ couldn't drive the ship upwind. Dragons were strong, and could drive themselves into headwinds, but they'd still get exhausted. It made Hiccup's blood boil. Even if he couldn't understand the dragons now, and knew without doubt they were people, it would still sicken him to think of them being used as beasts of burden like this.

At last he made it to the far end of the ship, and the cage that held Toothless. *Hiccup!* he cried through the muzzle, sounding pleased to see him, and worried as well. Hiccup rushed over and dropped to his knees in front of the cage, reaching between the bars to stroke the dragon's head. "Oh, Toothless."

The Night Fury whine-growled, looking at Hiccup with sad eyes. *Are you okay? Have they hurt you?* he asked. Not wanting his friend to worry, Hiccup lied and answered "No, bud, I'm fine. Here – let me try and get this muzzle off you. I can't stand seeing you like this." Toothless had been muzzled before, but it was always with a band of leather to pin his mouth shut. This muzzle was made of thin bands of metal, locked in place at the back of his jaw.

Hiccup wished he had a lock-pick on him. He tried to use a fishbone instead. "I've got a plan" he murmured, "if I can just steal the keys to the cages, I can let all the dragons out at once. We'll blast our way up through the ship. Um, we might have to get someone to carry us" Hiccup said apologetically. The fishbone snapped, so he grabbed another and tried again.

"Or, if the dragons are being made to tow the ship; I don't want them to do that to you, but if they do then they'd have to let me fix your tail-fin, and maybe we could steal that in the chaos – Argh!" Hiccup cried in frustration as the bone snapped again. _Note to self. Fishbones do not make good lockpicks._

*Don't worry about it* Toothless assured him. *I can still drink, and I can go without food for a while. Besides, none of the other dragons are muzzled, so they're bound to let you take this off me eventually* he reasoned. Toothless really really hoped this was true, because he hated the muzzle, but he didn't want Hiccup to worry. His rider had enough to worry about right now.

Reluctantly, Hiccup gave up on trying to get the muzzle off. "I have to go" he sighed, "but I'll be back tonight, I promise. I've been allowed", he rolled his eyes, "to sleep here with you." _As long as I obey,_ he didn't add.

Tearing himself away from Toothless was incredibly difficult; it made his chest feel cold and tight, just as it had when the hunters first dragged him to the ship. He was beginning to realise that the feeling in his chest, which was warm and comforting when he was close to Toothless, cold and gaping when he had to leave him, was a manifestation of the heart bind. Hiccup didn't blame Toothless in the slightest, but it wasn't an entirely pleasant sensation when he left.

He still had the biscuit; the clothes he had to wear didn't have pockets, so Hiccup had wedged the disc of hard-baked dough beneath the makeshift belt. Once he'd taken the empty pails back up to the galley, Hiccup looked around for the pails that were meant for mucking out the cages. There was no sign of them, and he wasn't sure who to ask, or even if he ought to.

"You, boy!" a voice called; Hiccup looked up, and found one of the cooks eyeing him suspiciously. "What're you skulking around for?"

"I…I was looking for pails to muck the dragon cages out with…ma'am" Hiccup explained. He wasn't sure if she'd hit him the way Cuffer did, but the woman was wielding a ladle and he didn't fancy being whacked with it.

Her nose wrinkled up as if at a foul smell. "We wouldn't keep that here in the galley, would we? The buckets you want are down by the heads."

"Oh, right." Hiccup felt foolish; of course the heads – the latrines – of the ship would be a better place for pails normally filled with dragon dung than the galley. "I'll just…go there now. Um…thank you." He hurried off before he could embarrass himself further, and found his way to the heads simply by heading towards the bow. There he found two more pails and a shovel, but he wasn't allowed back into the galley with them, so he had to head for the stern.

Fortunately, most of the hunters seemed to be out on deck. Those that weren't marched towards him like they had no intention of giving way, even though he was struggling with a cumbersome cargo. So Hiccup had no choice but to stand aside, as the hunters shoved past him with annoyed huffs or grunts or the occasional, "Out of the way, whelp!"

At last, he made it to the pulley-cage at the stern of the ship, and lowered himself back down to the lower deck. Hiccup didn't really mind mucking out the cages; it wasn't like he hadn't done this back on Berk. A sudden wave of homesickness washed over him, which didn't help the queasiness he felt both from the swaying of the ship and the reek of the droppings.

Hastily, he stuffed the biscuit in his mouth again, partly to try and chew it enough to get some in his stomach, partly to fend off a wave of nausea, and partly so it didn't slip from his belt and end up in the dung. _Eugh._ Gripping the rock masquerading as something edible in his teeth, Hiccup shovelled heaps of faeces; much smaller than they'd normally be; into the pails and heaved them onto his shoulders. He took them back to the pulley-cage, and began hauling himself up towards the deck. So far, he supposed, it hadn't been too bad.

* * *

Of course, he should have known better than to think that, especially since it appeared the gods now hated him for some inexplicable reason. Hiccup emerged from the pulley cage in the aft of the ship to find the deck bustling with activity. Crewmen went to and fro, coiling ropes, pulling on lines. The sail was furled, and the wind was still blowing south. Then he saw the dragons.

There were four long chains, two at each corner of the stern and two behind the bow, that stretched taut up into the sky. Harnessed to the chains at the forecastle were two Nadders; at the stern were two of the large sail-backed dragons. There was a hunter on deck at the bottom of each chain. The one on the starboard side struck the chain with a heavy club; the shock rattled up the chain and jerked a long metal rod, making it strike against the dragon's flank. The dragon shrieked. Hiccup saw red, and moved without thinking.

He threw himself between the chain and the club, grabbing it with both hands and bracing himself. The wooden peg scraped against the deck and his arms felt like they were going to snap but he stopped the blow. The force reverberated through his own body, making Hiccup feel like he'd just run headfirst into a stone wall. The hunter scowled fiercely, and wrenched the club to the side, throwing Hiccup down onto the deck. Then he brought it crashing down.

"Aargh!" Hiccup rolled to his feet to dodge the blow and ran for it. Of course, on board ship there was nowhere to run _to_ ; the hunter cut off his route to the pulley cage and called out, and suddenly everyone on deck was after him. Hiccup dived behind some tied down barrels, only to have to scramble away from a hunter swinging a sword down on him.

The blade sank into the wood; Hiccup, running on pure adrenaline, shoved his shoulder into the man's sternum, making him grunt and loosen his grip on the handle. Hiccup's smaller hands slipped underneath and he used the momentum to wrench the sword out of the barrel – it hadn't gone in deep. He forced the first hunter back, and slashed the broadsword through the ropes holding down the barrels, so they tumbled across the deck and knocked into the rest.

Colourful curses and threats flew after him as Hiccup fled to the base of the mainmast, with no plan in mind except getting off the deck. He grabbed one rope and cut through another; ballast dropped, and Hiccup was yanked up, forced to drop the sword and cling on with both hands. His arms felt like they were being yanked out of their sockets and the rope burned his palms.

Flailing, he grabbed hold of the starboard yard and somehow managed to haul himself up. Sitting astride it, he looked down to find several hunters clambering up the rigging, with knives in their teeth and rage in their eyes. Alarmed, Hiccup looked up at the crow's nest, expecting to see a hunter aiming a crossbow at him, but instead the man was just staring at him with mouth agape.

Hiccup got his foot and the peg underneath him and crouched unsteadily on the spar. The stiff wind felt like it was going to whisk him off like a leaf and let him crash down onto the deck, or into the sea. Desperate, he looked around for some means of escape, but there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide…Hiccup's eyes fell on the dragon. The chain was attached at the stern, but the dragon itself was level with, lower than, the mainmast. Well, since he was doing really stupid things anyway…

"Are you crazy?!" the hunter in the crow's nest yelled after him as he made a mad dash along the spar – normally, Hiccup would fall off a rounded, narrow perch like this in seconds, especially with a peg that was a rubbish substitute for his usual prosthetic, but desperation was one heck of a motivator. Keeping low so as not to get thrown from these precarious heights by the wind, Hiccup took a running leap right off the end of the spar, right onto the dragon.

Well, sort of. He more smacked into the Sail-Back's side, and his fingers scrabbled to cling to the harness as the dragon bellowed and tried to buck him off. "Don't, don't!" Hiccup cried, "I'm trying to help!" That awful metal rod struck the dragon's flank, and he roared again, jerking and nearly throwing off the strange human clinging to him. Hiccup grabbed the rod and yanked on it, bracing himself against the Sail-Back and trying to snap the rod.

He tugged and tugged with all his might, gripping the rod even as it jarred in his hands with each blow of the club against the chain. Finally, he could hold on no longer, and plunged down, screaming, the unforgivingly cold ocean beneath him…a heavy weight slammed into his side, knocking the breath out of him and sending him flying. The dragon had swooped down and batted him to safety.

Hiccup was flung out over the deck and kept falling, right onto the unforgivingly hard wood, rolling over and over until he finally stopped, bruised and dazed, against one of the barrels. Groaning, he struggled to get up – he should be able to shake this off, he'd had worse crashes – when hands grabbed him, hauled him upright, and dragged him forwards only to force him to his knees again.

Head still spinning, Hiccup looked up to find four people standing in front of him. Wait, no – he blinked – it was just two people, the grizzled hunter that Hauke had called Gunnhild, and Onarr. The first man was furious; the thrall just behind him looked at Hiccup as if his misfortune was a source of great joy.

"What in the name of the Allfather is going on here?!" Gunnhild demanded.

"It was the new thrall, Captain!" exclaimed the chain beater. "He just went mad, attacked me like some sorta rabid dog, then went runnin' about destroying stuff!" he lied. There were shouts of agreement from the crowd.

"I did not!" Hiccup protested, indignant. A deadly silence fell, and everyone stared at him. He winced. "I – I mean I did, technically, but I was just trying to help that dragon!"

In retrospect, he should have known that wasn't a good excuse. "The dragon? Why would I give a rat's arse about the _dragon_?" Gunnhild roared. "Just look at the mess you've made of my ship! Barrels everywhere, a mainsail line broken – and that!" He pointed, and the hunter keeping Hiccup down twisted him so he could see the pails full of dragon dung…that had spilled when he dropped them.

"It's not called the poop deck because it's meant to be covered by those creature's filth! Where in Thor's name is the quartermaster?" Gunnhild demanded. A hunter came forwards. Much to Hiccup's dismay, it was Cuffer. "Did I or did I not order you to watch the boy?"

"Aye, Captain!" Cuffer saluted.

"Then tell me why you didn't stop him from wrecking my ship and wasting our time!" Gunnhild yelled.

"I... I told him to behave whilst I went to perform my duties, Captain."

"You fool. He's not broken in yet! He can't be trusted on his own. You have your own duties, I understand. Next time, put someone else in charge of keeping the new thrall in line. If this happens again, I will hold he and you both responsible."

"Aye, Captain, understood" Cuffer saluted. He gave Hiccup a murderous look.

Beater volunteered, "I'll watch him, Captain, if you like. If he steps out of line again, I'll club 'im." He smacked the club against his palm in anticipation.

"If you hit him with that he'll get knocked out. Just strike him with your hand" Gunnhild ordered. He looked down at Hiccup with a glare of absolute contempt. "Here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna clean that shit up, and then you're gonna swab this deck on your hands and knees, aft to fore, until it's spotless. _Spotless_ , do you hear me?! No shit stains, no blood stains, nothing! I don't want to see a speck of dirt on this deck when you're finished!"

The man's spittle flecked Hiccup's face. He turned and barked at Onarr, "You! Fetch him a brush, double time."

"Yes, master" replied Onarr, giving Hiccup a dirty look as he went.

Gunnhild leaned in and told him, "Rest assured, I will be telling your master of this. I'll let him decide how best to punish you for your insolence, thrall."

At a nod from the Captain, the crew let him up and returned to their work. Hiccup retreated to the pails, shadowed by a glaring Beater, and used the shovel to scrape most of the remains back into the pails. Then he heaved them over to the starboard side and dumped the contents overboard. Beater poked him with the club. When he looked up, the hunter grinned cruelly, and whacked the chain. The dragon roared, and Hiccup flinched. "Stop it!"

"Make me, brat." He struck the chain again. The sound of the rod striking the dragon cut right through Hiccup's core. That poor Sail-Back (that was what the one in the cage said his kind was called) was suffering and Hiccup's disastrous attempt to help had only made things worse.

He tied the pail handles to a rope at Beater's urging and lowered them into the ocean to be washed out by the waves. Onarr came with a rough scrubbing brush and threw it at his feet. "Onarr, wait!" Hiccup called as the young man made to leave. Onarr spun around and glared at him. "What is your problem with me?" Hiccup pressed. "What did I ever do to you?"

"You showed up" Onarr muttered bitterly. He marched up to Hiccup, invading his personal space. "Sig was my friend. We didn't have much, but we had each other. And now, because of you, he's dead."

"I'm sorry" he pleaded, "I never wanted anyone to die, I didn't mean for this to happen! But Hauke and his men are the ones who killed Sigurd, not me!"

"They wouldn't have if you hadn't shown up! Why did you even come to Myrkr?" Onarr demanded.

"I…I wanted to find more Night Furies" Hiccup replied. It seemed like more and more of a pathetic excuse.

"What a coincidence" Onarr glowered at him, "so did we." With that, he walked away, and Beater growled at Hiccup that if he didn't hurry up and retrieve the pails soon…he hauled them back to the deck, dunked the brush in and began scrubbing as hard as he could, feeling guilty, humiliated and so very homesick.


	5. Chapter 5 - Look the Part

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Five – Look The Part

It was cold on deck, but kneeling kept him out of the worst of the wind, and the effort of scrubbing the wood of the deck warmed him up. Everything ached. His arms ached, his shoulders ached from carrying the pails, his back ached from the pails and the shovelling, his legs ached from crawling around, his head ached from lack of water, his stomach ached from lack of food.

Hiccup gnawed on the biscuit, which by some miracle had survived the insanity he'd gotten himself into since coming out on deck. He'd scraped some of it off, and didn't feel sated in the least, but he was beginning to realise that he'd never get enough food here. What had him worried was getting enough to drink. Between the biscuit, the sweating work and the smell of seawater, he was incredibly thirsty, but scared to ask his appointed warden to get him a drink.

As he worked his way across the deck, Hiccup overheard the hunters talking about him as if he wasn't there. Even if he was within earshot. "Stupid whelp, ruining all our hard work."

"You gotta give the brat _some_ credit. That was the most entertaining fuck-up I've seen in months."

 _Thank you_ Hiccup thought sarcastically. _I do try._ He really had fucked up this time, though. Not just with the fiasco before, the punishment of which he still had to look forward to (wasn't being made to swab the deck on his knees punishment enough?). He'd fucked up from the beginning, flying off to Myrkr with no back-up, no real plan, no way of knowing if what he sought was there.

Even if there had been Night Furies on Myrkr (he bet there weren't, that either Johann was mistaken or that shipwrecked sailor was, or both), what had he hoped to accomplish by finding them? Hiccup had never asked himself that question before. He wanted to find them so Toothless wouldn't be the only one, but what happened after that? If the dragon decided he'd rather be with his own kind than with Hiccup and the Vikings of Berk, could he let his friend go?

The thought made his chest ache with loneliness. Hiccup didn't know if he could. He'd always been selfish, and the thought of having to part with Toothless was almost inconceivable. Where and what would he be, without his best friend? And yet, Toothless had done so much for him. Another reason he'd wanted to find more Night Furies so badly, to give something back.

He supposed it was a moot point now. The heart bind…from the sound of it, this was a permanent deal. He didn't want to think too closely about what it might mean, but it looked like Toothless was stuck with him for a very long time.

It bothered him that the deck was wooden. Well, not that in itself; all ship's decks were wooden. It was that the outer flanks of the ship were covered in a layer of dragon proof metal. What was the point of the hull being dragon proofed if the deck wasn't? Hiccup soon found his answer though, when he noticed, whilst scrubbing, a small patch where the wood had chipped away at the side of the ship. The same metal glinted dully from underneath it.

 _So much for 'we'll blast our way out through the decks'_ Hiccup thought glumly. Then he told himself sternly to not give up; it wasn't the end of the world. He knew they could get through this metal, with the right combination of firepower. He and Toothless just had to persuade the other dragons to work together and not panic. Which would be easier said than done.

Hiccup sighed. Onarr blamed him for Sigurd's death, and for all he knew, so did the other thralls on board. Which meant that the hunters despised him, the slaves despised him, and after his most recent epic failure, the dragons towing the ship (much faster now that the wind had died) were being whipped even more – he flinched at the sound of each strike – so they probably despised him too. Everyone aboard this ship from Helheim hated him except –

"Are you the Dragon Master?"

His frustrated musings came to an abrupt halt. Hiccup looked up to find a teenager standing over him, with dark eyes and neatly groomed black hair. The boy was dressed similarly to Hauke, except without the cloak, and was staring down at Hiccup with an expression close to awe. "What?" Hiccup asked eloquently, forgetting that he had a biscuit in his mouth.

He gagged, and hastily took the half-chewed biscuit out of his mouth. The crumbs of it stuck in his throat, making him cough until Beater 'helpfully' leaned down and thumped him on the back. "Thanks" he muttered, rubbing his chest.

The dark haired boy frowned in confusion. "Why don't you have a drink?"

"…Nobody gave me one" Hiccup admitted. He was so thirsty now.

The boy's brows knitted even more. He straightened up and said imperiously to Beater, "You there! Fetch this man something to drink at once."

Beater grunted, "Cap'n told me to watch 'im. Why don't you go get it?"

"I think you'll find that I outrank you. What do you think my father would say if you let his new thrall die of thirst? I wouldn't want to be you if that happened."

Clearly thinking wasn't really Beater's strong point, because he fell for the boy's trick straightaway. "Fine. You, keep swabbing" he ordered, jabbing the club at Hiccup before walking away. Several of the other hunters shot them suspicious looks, until the boy called pointedly after Beater, "Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on the thrall!"

When everyone had gone back to their own work, the boy crouched down beside Hiccup and gestured to the sea biscuit. "I hate those" he remarked blithely, "they're bland and hard to chew. I'm the heir, for Thor Almighty's sake; I shouldn't have to eat what the rabble does" he complained.

Hiccup's brain caught up with his ears. "You're an heir?" he blurted out.

"Indeed" the boy nodded, puffing out his chest. "I am Adulfr, son of Hauke the Fearsome, heir to the Blood Bone tribe." (1)

Reminding himself to keep scrubbing and not gape, Hiccup couldn't keep an incredulous note out of his voice as he questioned, "You're Hauke's _son_?!"

"Isn't that what I just said?"

"Yeah, but – I just" – he was having trouble wrapping his mind around the idea. Hauke didn't exactly strike him as the fatherly type. "He…didn't mention you."

"Who, my father? Well, why would he tell you about me? You're his thrall" Adulfr commented, as if it were obvious. Hiccup wasn't sure what to think of this boy; on the one hand, he'd tricked a hunter into getting Hiccup a drink, but on the other hand, he was related to the man who had captured Hiccup in the first place. "He told me about you, though. Are you really the Dragon Master?"

 _Not this again._ "No, I'm not" Hiccup replied firmly. It wasn't really a lie; he didn't think of himself like that, regardless of what people called him.

"Oh…" Adulfr actually looked disappointed, and for a moment Hiccup felt bad for him. Then he frowned suspiciously. "My father told me you were…so either he's lying, or you are, and my father wouldn't lie to me. Which means you're lying, thrall" he glared down at Hiccup.

 _Hauke wouldn't lie? I beg to differ._ Hiccup wasn't in the mood for this. "Adulfr, right? Look, don't take this the wrong way…but your dad is insane."

Sure enough, Adulfr looked scandalised. "How dare you? My father is _not_ insane; you ought to learn your place! Thralls aren't supposed to speak ill of their masters" he declared, with the air of one reciting a phrase learned by rote.

For some reason, Adulfr didn't seem as threatening as the hunters or their chief; probably because he wasn't much bigger than Hiccup himself. "He's not insane? My mistake, I must have been thinking of the _other_ dragon hunter Chief who took me and my dragon prisoner, beheaded an innocent man just to use the body as a decoy, and had his men treat me like a slave. That's not what your father did at all" Hiccup retorted sarcastically.

"Exactly" nodded Adulfr. Hiccup thought he'd somehow missed the sarcasm, and wondered if maybe Adulfr wasn't all right in the head either. "None of that is the doings of a madman" Adulfr continued. "Madmen…shout at thin air or rock back and forth mumbling to themselves. An insane person would never be able to come up with such a plan, let alone execute it."

Hiccup's first thought was _did you have to use the word 'execute'?_ His second thought was _I think you may be missing the point._ "I s'pose you're right" he said aloud, "the word I should've used was 'evil'."

This time, Adulfr looked even more offended. "Well, if that's how you're going to behave, _thrall_ , then I shall speak with you no longer" he declared indignantly, albeit elaborately, and turned on his heel to stride away.

"Wait!" Hiccup called after him, impulsively. Adulfr paused. "I…I don't master dragons. I befriend them."

 _What am I doing?_ The truth was, Hiccup wasn't just hungry and thirsty; he was lonely, too. He'd rather be with Toothless, but Adulfr was the first person aboard this hellhole of a ship who had talked _to_ him instead of _at_ him, the first person to treat him like…like a person. So he was more than a little relieved when Adulfr turned back and crouched down again, to be on his eye level.

"So…you're not the Dragon Master?"

"That's just what people call me."

"Oh. So…what do you call yourself?"

For the first time in what felt like forever, Hiccup smiled. He sat back on his heel and held his hand out to shake. "Hiccup Haddock the Third, son of Stoick the Vast, heir to the Hooligan Tribe" he introduced himself.

Adulfr returned the smile and shook his hand, but then – oh joy – Beater returned. "You ain't no heir now" he grunted at Hiccup, thrusting a lidded tankard at him. Hiccup took it, just barely remembering to say "Thank you" before he pushed the lid aside and gulped at the liquid. It was ale, but that didn't surprise him; on a long voyage, ale stayed fresh for longer than water.

"It's rationed" Beater commented. He was evidently a man of few words, but they still gave Hiccup pause. Surely, on a ship this large there would be plenty of storage space, but this might be the only drink he got for ages. Hiccup forced himself to put the tankard down, determined to make what was left last. He'd already drunk almost a third of it, and the tankard wasn't large.

Adulfr inquired, "So did you really capture the Night Fury and tame it? I heard from the men that the Night Fury is missing a tail-fin, did you cut it off to keep the dragon under your control? And did you really use the Night Fury to destroy a Red Death? That must be incredible, to have so much power!"

"No, what happened was" – Hiccup began to say.

He was interrupted by an angry shout. "ADULFR!"

It was brief, but Hiccup swore he noticed a flicker of fear pass over Adulfr's face before the boy straightened, turned and faced his father, who was striding across the deck towards them. _He's probably come to punish me_ Hiccup thought glumly, _Hooray._

"Is something wrong, father?"

Hauke grabbed his son's arm and hauled Adulfr away from Hiccup. "You're not to talk to my thrall, Adulfr. Do you understand me?"

"But I just wanted to meet" –

"I don't care! Whatever he says he is, he is not anymore. Adulfr, you are privileged, and above associating with lessers; no matter how 'interesting' you might think they are. No heir of mine is going to befriend a slave. I forbid you to speak to him, is that clear?"

Adulfr glanced down at Hiccup, and looked back at his father. "…As crystal" he replied at last. Hiccup bit back a sigh, but he couldn't keep his shoulders from slumping in disappointment. The one person on board (apart from Toothless) who didn't utterly despise him, and Hauke had taken that away from him too.

Hauke looked down at him disdainfully. "You're supposed to be swabbing the deck, thrall" he remarked coldly.

"I was just gonna tell 'im to hurry up, Chief" Beater assured him.

"Oh, no, he can take all the time he needs. It isn't _my_ problem if he's late for lunch" Hauke replied pointedly. The thought of missing out on a proper meal spurred Hiccup on, and he went back to cleaning with renewed vigour. Hauke hid a smirk at the sight. For all the boy's wilful stubbornness, he was just like anyone else; when times got tough, he thought only of his own survival.

"As for you" Hauke continued, rounding on Adulfr, "when I let you come aboard I expected you to make yourself useful, not loiter about on deck getting in the way" he warned with a disapproving scowl.

"Of course, father. Oh! Perhaps I could see to the dragons? I mean, I know that's _his_ job" Adulfr remarked, with a contemptuous gesture at Hiccup, "but if he has to finish his chores here on deck, and the Captain's thrall is busy with his own –he'll be helping to prepare lunch, won't he?" Adulfr shrugged as if to say, 'somebody has to do it, it might as well be me'.

Hauke's lips curled. He stared Adulfr down, but the boy didn't waver, and at last he waved a dismissive hand and conceded, "Fine. You can refill their water troughs, in all the cages. The wind is changing, so we'll be bringing these ones below deck soon" he explained, gesturing up towards the Nadders and Thunderclaws still towing the ship. "But I'm allowing it just this once."

Adulfr nodded, "Yes, father, I understand", and hurried away. Hiccup kept scrubbing, yet he couldn't help but feel grateful towards…his new friend?

Suddenly his chin was forced up and he found Hauke looming over him. "If I catch you talking to my son again, Haddock, I will make your punishment that much worse" the man warned ominously, before striding away.

* * *

Swabbing the deck on hands and knees took forever, especially when he had to work his way around the other people on deck, who kept 'accidentally' knocking over the pails of seawater, so he had to keep replacing them. Just as Hauke said, the wind picked up again, this time blowing up to the north instead of down from it. The huge mainsail had been lashed up, but now it was unfurled and billowed out, catching every eddy of wind.

The dragons were tugged back onto the deck, unharnessed and sent back below. Hiccup tried to catch their eyes, to convey how utterly sorry he was, but none of them looked at him. His heart ached. He longed for the sky, to be flying with Toothless, far away where nobody could hurt them.

The worst part was when he had to clean where Sigurd had been executed. No matter how hard he scrubbed at them, the stains in the wood just wouldn't go away. Hiccup knew that it was all but impossible to get bloodstains out once they were set into wood. When he tried to point that out to Beater, the hunter whacked him hard around the head and told him not to question orders.

Well, he'd been ordered to clean the deck, so that was what he did. Hiccup finally finished, aching all over, his stomach still twisting with hunger. He'd managed to eat the biscuit, but it barely filled a hole and just sat in his stomach unpleasantly. "About time" Beater complained, "now I get lunch. Come on."

He made Hiccup follow him the long way round to the mess room, even though the pulley-cage that went right to the galley was just a few feet away. It made no sense, unless he knew that food would be saved for him and not Hiccup.

When they reached the mess hall, it was full of the crew almost finishing their meals. They all looked up when Beater and Hiccup walked in. Mocking jeers, claps and laughter followed immediately after.

"If it isn't the one-legged wonder!"

"Is that how you try and get on every dragon you ride?"

"I hope you're happy, brat. My arm aches from whacking that chain because you had to play hero!"

"I can't wait to see what he does when we make the Night Fury tow us!"

 _Don't react, that's what they want._ Hiccup told himself this over and over, but when he heard the last comment, he had to restrain himself from lashing out. It was bad enough he was still waiting to be punished for the fiasco up on deck; he didn't want to give these reprehensible cretins the satisfaction of having Hauke make him suffer even more. He couldn't let Toothless suffer because of him.

He had to go to the far end of the mess hall, where he found Onarr picking at the remains of his meal. "Is…is there any left for me?" Hiccup asked hopefully.

Onarr glowered at him. "You weren't around, so I got your share" he replied.

This could not be happening. "Onarr, please" Hiccup begged, lowering his voice so as not to let the hunters overhear. "I know you hate me, you have every reason to, but please, I've barely eaten anything since yesterday afternoon" –

"Oh, stop whinging" Onarr rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine, I didn't really eat it. Your share will still be in the galley; help me gather the dirty plates, and I'll get the cooks to give you some. But you better eat it all, and quick."

"Deal" Hiccup agreed at once. Onarr muttered a warning not to drop the plates, and they set about clearing the tables, with him taking the ones on the port side and Hiccup being left with the starboard. From the way the hunters mocked him, calling him a wench, Hiccup figured that this was another one of the chores he was supposed to do. He didn't understand why he was supposed to be Hauke's…helper, if he was doing all this grunt work as well.

In the galley, when he'd set down the last of the dirty plates, Hiccup turned to find a weary woman holding a plate of pork and peas out to him. He said "Thank you" and meant it, taking the plate and not so much eating the food as inhaling it. The pork was salty and the peas were dry, and Hiccup realised too late that he'd left the tankard of ale up on deck, but the cooks let him have another.

Of course, now they had to clean the dishes. Onarr had set straight to work, washing and drying each plate and piece of cutlery with the ease of long practice. He nodded to Hiccup's own pile to clean. "You want to be more careful" he murmured, "pulling stunts like that isn't going to do you any favours. What in Hel's name were you even trying to do?"

 _I have no idea_ Hiccup thought bitterly. "It's none of your business" he heard himself say.

Onarr huffed. "Whatever. Look, if you don't wanna get torn to shreds here, take my advice. Keep your head down, your mouth shut and do what you're told. Thralls like us are meant to know our place and you haven't learned yours."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes incredulously, stubbornly. "I'm not a thrall."

"Oh, yeah? Then what are you?"

 _A dragon rider. An inventor. The son of a chief._ "I'm a Viking."

Onarr scoffed. "Sure. A Viking who just swabbed the deck and is now cleaning dishes" he retorted mockingly.

"You mean like you are?" Hiccup snapped. This wasn't like him normally, but things were _not_ normal. He was beyond frustrated, and he didn't know where Onarr got off, acting like Hiccup was beneath him when they were both – _no. I'm not a thrall. I'm not a thrall! I am a Viking._ "I don't want to get beat up again. I'm just…playing along until Toothless and I can escape."

"Nobody escapes from here. It's impossible."

 _Don't say it. Don't say it._ "Onarr, listen to me" said Hiccup, ignoring his inner voice. "We don't have to like each other, but if we work together, we can all escape. You, me, Toothless and…are there others?"

"Other thralls, you mean? No, it's just us." (2)

Putting aside his surprise ( _just two people on a ship this large?),_ Hiccup couldn't help but ask, "Then how do you know it's impossible to escape?"

"Because, Sigurd and I tried to escape once" Onarr replied, glaring. " _Once_." He shuddered. "You do _not_ want to know what they did to us afterwards."

Hiccup didn't listen. Onarr was probably just trying to scare him. "Yeah, well, defying the impossible is what Toothless and I do best."

"Again, _whatever_. Just hurry up and do your pile of the dishes."

* * *

When the dishes were finally done, Onarr told him they had to return to their masters to serve them, and if they weren't needed, to clean the heads or do laundry. None of that sounded remotely appealing, but as Hiccup reluctantly followed Onarr out of the galley, Adulfr came striding up to them. "You, thrall" he said to Hiccup, "come with me at once. My cabin is in need of cleaning."

"But I" – _thought your dad forbade you to speak to me._

"But nothing! If you are to serve my father you ought to serve me as well. Don't just stand there; my cabin isn't going to clean itself."

Hiccup blinked, and caught on at last. "Oh, y-yes….sir. As you wish." He followed Adulfr down the companionway. Once they were out of earshot of Onarr, he murmured to the boy, "Thanks."

"You're welcome" Adulfr hissed back. A pause. "My room really is a mess. And you owe me now."

Hiccup sighed. "Alright."

He was a bit nervous when they got back to the aft-castle, because Adulfr's cabin was right next to Hauke's. What if the man came out and saw them? Fortunately, they got inside the cabin without issue and, like the room of any teenage boy, it was indeed a wreck. Adulfr didn't beat around the bush. "So how did you really tame the Night Fury?" he demanded.

"…Your dad said if he catches me talking to you, he'll punish me even more" Hiccup protested. The worst part was that he didn't know what the punishment was going to be; if he did, he could try to prepare himself. "And he forbade you to talk to me, remember?"

Adulfr shrugged. "Then I won't talk to you. I'm _ordering_ you to talk to me, and tell me how you tamed a Night Fury and slayed a Red Death." He settled in a chair with one leg draped over the other, as imperious as his father. "Proceed."

So Hiccup explained how he and Toothless really met, what happened when they fought the Red Death, and that the dragons were for more than battle. He tidied up the room as he did so, telling himself it was a favour, not a chore.

"People call me the 'Dragon Master' because I was the first one to train a dragon, but most Vikings think they're nothing but weapons. Sure, we ride them into battle, but there's so much more to them than that. They're intelligent, kind, amazing creatures, and once you've earned a dragon's loyalty, there is nothing they won't do for you" Hiccup explained, thinking fondly of Toothless.

Adulfr sat thoughtfully for a while. "You're not what I expected" he said finally, apparently disregarding his own insistence on not speaking to Hiccup.

"….I'm probably going to regret this, but what exactly _were_ you expecting?"

The boy frowned. "I was…I suppose I expected you to be more like Drago Bludvist" he replied at last, but that didn't really answer Hiccup's question.

"Drago who?" he asked.

Adulfr stared at him incredulously, and protested "You must have heard of him! Drago Bludvist has an army of dragons. He is fearless, ruthless, commanding; you might have tamed a Night Fury, but there are rumours Drago has tamed a Bewilderbeast, the most powerful dragon of them all. My father works for him, serves him in his army. Father is very high ranking" Adulfr boasted.

Hiccup listened to all this with growing unease. This 'Drago Bludvist' sounded like a dangerous madman to him, and it was disturbing to see Adulfr speak of him with eyes alight. Hauke planned to sell Toothless and he to this terrible man; Hiccup was more determined than ever to escape. "He sounds…intense."

"Oh, he's incredible" Adulfr nodded, oblivious to Hiccup's discomfort. Then a thought seemed to occur to him. "I heard my father's men talking about you at lunch. They seemed to be saying that you had been stabbed, but somehow survived. Ridiculous, isn't it?" he asked, with a pointed stare that Hiccup studiously ignored. Adulfr pressed, "What really happened on shore?"

"I have no idea."

"You must know something, you were there."

"I was unconscious."

"What about when you woke up?"

He was being too demanding, and it occurred to Hiccup that Adulfr was probably trying to manipulate him the way he'd tricked Beater. For all he knew, Hauke had instructed his son to get close to Hiccup and learn his secrets. "I don't know what happened" he insisted, not meeting Adulfr's eyes. "I just woke up and I wasn't dying. The gods must've kept me alive to torment me."

"Well, you must have done something to anger them" Adulfr declared with heartless certainty. His words tore at Hiccup inside, because he couldn't imagine what this unforgivable deed could be – no, he could, but that hadn't happened then – but he doubted, still. _You deserve this._ At that moment, Hiccup despised Adulfr almost as much as he loathed the boy's wretched father.

Rounding on Adulfr, he angrily retorted "Maybe I did, but at least I'm not some…some arrogant, conniving brat. I bet your dad put you up to this. Well you can tell him from me that I don't know how I survived, but if I did I wouldn't tell him because it's none of his damn business!"

"Why you insolent!" – Adulfr's face screwed up in rage, and he launched himself at Hiccup, punching for all he was worth. He wasn't much bigger or heavier, so Hiccup punched right back; but Adulfr was better at fist-fighting despite his slightness. He kicked Hiccup's peg leg out from under him and used the momentum of that first attack to force him to the floor, laying into him.

The door slammed open, and their struggle came to an immediate halt. In moments, Adulfr was wrenched off of him and Hiccup found himself pinned under Hauke's boot. The man was livid, shaking Adulfr violently by the shoulders and yelling abuse right in his face. "You wretched, ungrateful, pathetic runt! What the fuck is the matter with you?!" Adulfr roared. "After everything I've done for you; after you _begged_ and _pleaded_ and _whined_ to me, day in, day out, for _months_ about coming on this voyage. I allow it and this flagrant disobedience is how you repay me?!"

Adulfr was terrified, all pretence and imperious bravado stripped away. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, father, please – I just – I only wanted to make him clean the cabin! He's a thrall, that's what he's for!"

"That's what the _cabin boys_ are for! Heck, you could do it yourself if you weren't such a lazy – no, I'll deal with you later." Hauke shoved Adulfr away from him, and the boy landed in the chair. He lifted his foot off Hiccup's chest, bent down and hauled him up. "And as for you" he snarled, shoving Hiccup against the wall. "What part of my warning wasn't clear to you, thrall?"

"I was just following orders!" Hiccup shot back, struggling fruitlessly. "I thought that's what you wanted!"

Hauke smacked him hard across the mouth for his insolence. "You did this to get out of your other chores, I imagine. Tomorrow you'll be doing Onarr's work to make up for the chores you missed whilst disobeying me."

A trickle of blood fell down from Hiccup's lip. "I'd have thought a man like you would have lots of slaves" he retorted, "maybe if you hadn't _murdered_ Sigurd, you'd" – Hauke wrapped his fingers around Hiccup's throat, choking him off.

"Two can play at that game. If you hadn't come to Myrkr, Sigurd wouldn't have had to die. I warned you, boy. I warned you what would happen if you disobeyed, or refused orders. I hope you're ready for a night in the crew's quarters. Do you have any idea", Hauke asked quietly, breath hot in Hiccup's ear, "what they're going to do to you?"

His words sent a chill snaking up Hiccup's spine. "But the Captain has a different punishment in mind. He doesn't think we should give you special treatment, and I'm inclined to agree. So I won't throw you to the vultures this time" Hauke decided, stepping back and throwing Hiccup aside. "Get out of my sight, thrall. Finish your chores. I'll send someone when it's time for your punishment."

Hiccup struggled to his feet, coughing. He scowled angrily at Hauke, who glared back. _Why wait?_ He wanted to challenge. He was sick of the suspense; whatever the punishment was, he just wanted to get it over with. Hiccup managed to hold his tongue; something told him that speaking now would only make things worse. _No kidding. You couldn't have figured that out before?_

* * *

Hiccup had to help prepare dinner, and then Onarr went to feed the dragons again, leaving him to clean up. He didn't have to do all of it himself – there were galley girls as well, but they didn't speak to him. Hiccup noticed that all the cooks and their helpers were women, as if women were only ever good for cooking for men, which rankled him. He'd never expect Astrid to cook for him…

A pang of homesickness stung at his eyes, and he blinked furiously, determined not to cry in front of his captors. Gods, he missed her; missed all of them.

When the last of the dishes was cleaned, one of the women told him a hunter was waiting for him. It was Beater – she'd used his real name, but Hiccup had no interest in learning any of theirs. In a strange way it was a good thing he was only expected to call them 'sir'. Beater led him up to the deck. Hiccup wondered if his punishment would entail getting clubbed by the hulking man.

When they emerged into the cold air, worsened by the fact that the sun was setting, Hiccup was unnerved to find what seemed like the whole crew on deck as well. Whatever his punishment was, it would also be entertainment, judging by their horribly eager expressions. The only sound was the snapping of the flag in the wind, and the waves slapping relentlessly against the hull.

Beater gripped his arm like a vice, dragging him over to the starboard yardarm, and made him stand on a piece of canvas. The hunters surrounded him, pulled off his tunic, gagged him with a band of leather between his teeth, and forced his wrists through loops of rope, lifting his arms above his head. Goosebumps rose all over his skin. Hiccup set his feet apart and tried to tug himself free, but that only made the loops tighten. Hauke, Gunnhild and Cuffer came forwards.

"Skinny little whelp, isn't he?" Gunnhild noted, looking Hiccup over in distaste. "I'm not sure if he could take thirty lashes. He'd probably pass out before we hit the half-way mark."

"Does that matter? The boy is an impudent brat with no respect for authority. A good hard flogging is exactly what he needs for this lesson to stick."

Hiccup gulped, and tried to brace himself. They were going to whip him. Thirty times. This was going to be incredibly painful…but Hiccup was no stranger to pain. He'd lost a leg, for crying out loud. He'd crashed on Toothless more times than he could count. He could…he could handle this. He was shaking because it was cold, not because he was scared. He wasn't going to pass out like they said.

Cuffer – no, Flogger - stepped forwards, meeting Hiccup's eyes with a cruel smirk on his face. With a _hiss-snap_ he unfurled the whip – a strip of leather studded with a few tiny conical spikes, like the ones adorning Astrid's overskirt. Only these ones were sharp. They would tear into his skin and gouge out his flesh. Hiccup's eyes widened in fear and he tried to protest, but he couldn't speak with the gag in his mouth. The man moved behind him. "Thirty lashes, right Chief?"

"Indeed. Oh, but one more thing…" Hauke approached Hiccup, invaded his personal space. "Adulfr gave me your little message. I think you _do_ know how you survived, and you're just refusing to say. Tell me how you did it, and I'll call this whole thing off" he remarked, almost casually.

Hiccup could tell him. He could avoid getting punished at all. Yet the thought of telling his enemy about something so personal, something he barely understood himself, was something Hiccup _did not want to do._ His self-preservation instincts, such as they were, screamed at him to nod, to tell the truth. His head was telling him one thing, but his heart was telling him another. And Hiccup had always listened to one far more than the other. So he simply grit his teeth.

"So be it" Hauke retorted, stepping away. He nodded to the man behind Hiccup.

The first strike seared across his back with a nauseating _crack,_ followed by four more in quick succession. Hiccup was suddenly glad of the leather in his mouth, because it kept him from cracking his own teeth as he grit them hard. Tears of pain were forced from the corners of his eyes, but he didn't cry out, _yet_.

 _Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!_

The whip beat against his skin in sharp hot bursts; the studs ripped through it like parchment, tearing it to bloody ribbons. Hiccup couldn't help but scream…

 _Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!_

…At the agony, like nothing he'd ever felt before…

 _Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!_

…cursing his idiocy and stubbornness and the hunters cruelty…

 _Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!_

"Master! Master!"

 _Crack! Crack!-_

"Hold it!" Gunnhild called out. He rounded on Onarr. "How dare you interrupt us! This had better be important, thrall, or you'll be next."

Onarr panted. "I'm sorry, master. It…it's the Night Fury. I went down to change the dragon's water one last time, and it – master, it's gone mad. It kept throwing itself against the bars of its cage, screeching through the muzzle."

"Who cares? They all have fits like that now and then. Go do something useful and prepare my cabin" Gunnhild ordered. Onarr bowed and hurried away.

"Wait" called Hauke, "Captain, if you would, send some men to bring the Night Fury up here. I have an…idea to test out."

Gunnhild obliged, ordering several crew members down to the dragon cages. Hauke approached Hiccup, circling him like a hungry shark. Hiccup panted. Every breath felt like tiny knives in his throat and chest; his back was _burning_. Flesh scored with bloody gashes, skin flayed and torn to shreds. The excruciating torment spread all over his body; his stump throbbed with phantom pain. If it weren't for the rope holding him up, he'd likely collapse and not be able to rise.

Hauke lifted the boy's chin, forcing Hiccup to meet his eyes. "Pathetic" he muttered, "but I'd expect nothing more from a runt." He'd noticed something as he circled Hiccup, and now he pressed a finger to the small scar between Hiccup's ribs, just below his heart. The boy whimpered in pain. "This is where I stabbed you…how did it heal?" Hauke demanded, tugging away the gag.

Hiccup's mouth was dry and sore from screaming, but he didn't even try to speak. Hauke frowned. "Why won't you just tell me? I know you know. I can see it in your eyes….ah. You're scared I'll use it against you. I undoubtedly will, but I don't _need_ to know it to make you suffer, thrall."

At that, Hiccup's eyes narrowed. They flashed with the fire Hauke had yet to extinguish, as he retorted hoarsely, "I'm…not…your thrall."

Hauke's grip tightened on his chin. "Hiccup Haddock the Third is _dead_ " he insisted, "you are just what's left. You are a thrall, whether you like it or not…hmm. But you don't quite look the part, now do you?" He called someone over; Hiccup winced as they pulled tufts of his hair and he felt cold metal sliding over his scalp. He shut his eyes so as not to look at Hauke's despicable face.

At last they let him go. Hiccup looked down and immediately wished he hadn't…the canvas he was standing on was soaked in his blood, and he could see his hair scattered over it. A commotion made him raise his head, though it felt far too heavy on his neck…the hunters were dragging Toothless out of the nearest pulley-cage, with thick chains wrapped around the black dragon.

As soon as he clapped slit-pupilled eyes on Hiccup, Toothless let out a furious but muffled shriek and lunged towards him. It took eight of them to hold him back and down; he thrashed and snarled viciously, claws scoring the wood of the deck and the flesh of anyone who got in the way. *Moon be-damned eel-eating snakes! I'm going to rip all of you to _shreds_!* he growled.

"Now what, Chief?" inquired Gunnhild. At Hauke's instructions, the hunters forced Toothless onto his back, with limbs splayed and the smooth scales of his belly left vulnerable. Then he asked for Beater's club. Hiccup's eyes widened in horror. "Mark this, thrall" he told Hiccup, as he walked towards Toothless with the metal club in hand. "Perhaps it will persuade you to be more forthcoming and less insolent in future." With that, he smashed the club down.

Seeing Toothless jerk under the blows would be bad enough. Hearing his grunts of pain would be bad enough. But Hiccup could _feel_ it; an echo of every thump of the club on his own ribs. "AAAAHH! NOOOO!"

Hauke stopped laying into the Night Fury. "Quartermaster?" he prompted.

 _Crack! Crack! Crack!_ "Aaaaargh!"

The dragon screeched at the same time. "Hold it!" yelled Hauke. He looked between the Night Fury and its former rider, as realisation dawned… "You can feel each other's pain. How is that possible?" he wondered.

Hiccup had to tell him. It was one thing for him to be hurt keeping the secret, but _not Toothless._ "He…we're…heart bound" he gasped out.

"What does that mean?"

"If…I…die…he dies…and…vice versa" Hiccup panted, groaning at the pain.

"How do you know all this?"

"…he…told…me…"

"Ah…" Hauke looked thoughtful for a moment, and then he smiled. "I have to thank you, dragon" he said to Toothless, who had been hauled back onto his feet. The Night Fury was snarling so hard he trembled with it. "I thought breaking you and your ex-owner in would be difficult, but you've made it _so_ much simpler. Now, I think there's just one more thing to take care of."

He turned away, looking back at the battered, bleeding slave. Toothless looked past him and stared in horror; one of the hunters was holding a rod of metal in the flames of a torch, and now he walked towards Hiccup with the end of it glowing white hot. *NO!* he screeched, lunging forwards.

At his shriek, Hiccup's limp head snapped up in alarm. His eyes clapped on the glowing metal – the brand – and went wide, utterly terrified. He struggled to get away, sending sharp bursts of agony lancing through his torso. "No, no, no, don't, don't, please, don't! No, don't!" As if in slow motion, Hiccup could only watch helplessly as the brand neared his bare skin, turning it red and scorching.

The brand was pressed to his left shoulder, just over his collarbone. Hiccup threw his head back and _roared_. His vision went white; he could feel his mouth gaping, but his pulse roared in his ears so loud and fast that he couldn't hear himself screaming. Even when the pressure was gone the endless burning remained, spreading from his chest to his back and his limbs, his whole body was on fire…

Hiccup's knees buckled; he retched, heaving what little was in his stomach. The whole world was tilting and spinning horribly. He screamed again as freezing cold, stinging saltwater was sluiced over the cuts and the burn. Hot, bitter liquid was poured down his throat, making him gag, but – oh, sweet relief – the pain began to fade. His head felt foggy, eyes blurry…he couldn't think straight…

There was something…wrapping around him…they were talking, but he couldn't hear what anyone was saying…where was…? "Toothless…" the rope cutting into his wrists was cut away, and he slumped forwards. Someone heaved him over their shoulder, and he hung limply, too dazed and in shock to move. Distantly, some part of him felt humiliated, but he was too hurt to really care.

* * *

Toothless was _livid._ These hunters – they weren't even human, they were _monsters,_ cowardly and cruel – had whipped and burned his other half, and now they were dragging him back to that moon-damned cage. They might have muzzled him, but he still had his claws and he tore at the monsters around him, to cause the monsters the same pain he and Hiccup felt.

His claws scraped across armour and ripped through cloth more than flesh, but he still managed to draw blood before the monsters shoved him back into the cage. Then they didn't go away, so Toothless spread his wings as wide as he could and snarled, stretching out his claws decorated with the monsters blood.

Hauke stepped towards the cage. Toothless loathed the monsters leader with every fibre of his being, and he growled as menacingly as he could, glaring at Hauke with pupils sharp as swords. Then another monster approached, with Hiccup limp and bloodied over his shoulder. Hauke looked Toothless in the eye and told him, "If you want your former rider back, and that muzzle off, you had better not attack my men."

Burning with rage, Toothless had no choice but to obey. To resist would be to have Hiccup taken away when his other half needed him. He stayed very still as they took the muzzle off. The moment it was free of him, Toothless lunged. Not at the monsters, as much as he wanted to, but at Hiccup. With his fangs tucked away, he wrapped his jaws around Hiccup's torso and hauled him away from the ones who had hurt him. Then he summoned his inner fire to his throat.

The blast only struck the metal grate of the cage door, but it was so satisfying to fire. The monsters retreated, and Toothless roared after them, promising vengeance if they so much as thought about hurting his beloved one again. With some of his anger quelled, Toothless set about tending to Hiccup, easing his limp body onto a blanket that strange boy had shoved through the bars. The poor man's eyes were glazed over in shock, shiny with unshed tears.

*I'm so sorry* he moaned, a liquid keen, nuzzling Hiccup and swiping his tongue over newly short hair. They had wrapped now blood-stained cloth around the gashes across Hiccup's back and the burn on his shoulder. Toothless lapped water from a trough and tenderly laved his human's forehead with the cool liquid. Hiccup whimpered and trembled. He tried to say something, and his lips moved, but nothing came out. *Just rest, love* Toothless urged, settling himself between his dear one and the cage door.

Toothless wrapped his tail around Hiccup, tucking it under his head for a pillow. He folded a wing over the man, somewhere dark and warm. Sleep; he needed Hiccup to sleep. His other half wouldn't suffer so much if he were unconscious, surely. Suddenly, Toothless remembered something that might help. Hiccup was not his hatchling, and he would not die, but…it seemed fitting.

*Little one, my little one…my dearest, hearts flame, souls light…without you the world is endless night…* (3)

Slowly but surely, Hiccup ceased trembling, and Toothless kept crooning to him.

*Precious one, my precious one…so close and yet so far…I love you so, my shining star…*

Hiccup's eyelids fluttered; his breathing slowed.

*Only one, my only one…my brother, be brave, don't fear. We are going to get out of here* the Night Fury declared, vowing it would be so. He purred as he realised his other half had fallen asleep at last. Hiccup could rest and heal even in this terrible place, because Toothless would take care of him and protect him from the monsters that had caught them and toyed with them like prey.

* * *

(1) Hey look, it's Adulfr before he was an embittered, arrogant jerk! Now he's just an arrogant jerk, which…isn't as bad? To note, he wasn't there in Heart Bound, but I've put him in here as a way to further explore his character and backstory without resorting to flashbacks.

(2) I know that might sound unrealistic, but like many fans I view realism as a suggestion more than an actual requirement.

(3) This verse is the beautiful brainchild of Sarah, her Hatchling Lament.


	6. Chapter 6 - Hope Extinguished

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Six – Hope Extinguished

 _Dad…! Dad…!_

Stoick and his dragon were flying faster than ever before.

"I'm coming, son! I'm coming! Faster, Skull Crusher!"

 _Dad, help me!_

Stoick was running faster than ever before.

"I'm coming! Hold on!"

 _Help me!_

It didn't matter where he was or had been; only where he was going.

"Hiccup!"

 _Aaaaaaaah!_

Stoick saw the silhouette of the axe swing up, heard the thud as it came down.

"NO!"

* * *

Stoick jerked awake with a heaving gasp. He didn't remember going to bed, let alone falling asleep. Stoick hadn't wanted to sleep; he knew he'd have nightmares, and nightmares could not be fought off with a war-hammer. Which he'd actually grabbed in his panic. Scowling, he set it aside and began getting up. There was no way he'd be able to go back to sleep, even if he wanted to.

Instead, he made his way outside. Stoick stood on the porch of his house, looking out over the village. In the cool night it looked peaceful, with everyone and their dragons safely in bed. _Everyone except Hiccup and Toothless,_ his thoughts betrayed him. Stoick clenched his fists. Grief clutched at his heart and made him want to bellow, to tear out his beard, to smash something with his war-hammer. Death could only be fought off when you saw it coming.

A snort and the thump of heavy feet made him look over at Skull Crusher. The large dragon lumbered out of his stable, and butted his horn against Stoick's arm. Stoick rested a hand on the curved keratin and felt a thrum, a purr so low that it was a feeling, not a sound. "Aye. You can't sleep either, eh, old boy?"

Skull Crusher huffed and nudged him more insistently, jerking his head to gesture back at the saddle. "Ah, no wonder you're awake. I forgot to get that off you, hang on…" Stoick moved to unbuckle the straps and heave the seat off of Skull's back, but the Rumblehorn rolled his eyes and grunted exasperatedly. Moving far more quickly than a dragon of his size would be expected to, Skull moved behind Stoick and tossed his rider up onto his back. "Whoa!"

Before Stoick had a chance to protest, Skull Crusher had taken to the air. He beat his wings to keep the breeze flowing and lift his bulk, heading for the cliffs where the wind swept up with the waves. When Stoick's attempts to scold the dragon and make him land were ignored, the chief sighed and took a deep breath of the cool night air. It was peaceful, with the full moon and a few stars peeking out from above a patchwork blanket of clouds. All he could hear were Skull Crusher's wings and the waves rushing up to and away from the shore.

He actually started to feel a little bit better. _I can see why Hiccup loves to do this so much_ he thought. That sparked the memory of what had happened, which brought the grief flooding back. Stoick groaned and pulled back on the reins, bringing Skull to a hover. "Sorry, friend. You mean well, but it's no good. A midnight flight won't lift my spirits…it reminds me too much of him. My son."

Skull Crusher grunted an apology. "It's not your fault" Stoick assured him, patting his carapace, but an odd noise made him pause and frown. "What's that sound? Go lower, Skull Crusher" he urged. The Rumblehorn obliged, and soon they were approaching the training ring. Fires were lit in torches around the edge and the ring was occupied, by a familiar Nadder and shield-maiden.

* * *

Astrid was busy murdering straw and wooden dummies. Most of them were already slashed to pieces. She'd foregone her favourite axe, Stoick noted, opting instead for a sword that she was currently eviscerating yet another dummy with. "Let's see how you like it!" she snarled, obviously imagining the dummies as the hunters who had killed Hiccup. The blade sliced off the arms in two quick moves, and a third swipe sent the cloth head flying across the arena.

Stoick hadn't seen her this worked up since Dagur attacked the village that one time of many and destroyed her parents house. Ah, now there was an uncomfortable thought. The reformed Berserker chief and his sister, Heather, were going to be devastated when they next visited Berk and heard the terrible news. Dagur would probably go deranged, albeit on the hunters, not them.

Skull Crusher landed behind her and Astrid spun around, raising the sword to throw as she would her axe. Then she recognised them, but Stoick was actually pleased to see her training and discipline being displayed. "Sorry, Chief. I, uh, didn't see you there" she said, embarrassed to have nearly thrown a weapon at him and his dragon. Skull Crusher had thick scales, but that was no excuse.

Stoick didn't rebuke her, though. Instead he dismounted, hefted his war-hammer and asked her, "Mind if I join you?"

"…Be my guest" she answered, stabbing the sword down into a dummy's head.

Stoick gave a nod, and marched towards one of the wooden cut-outs. With a great bellow, he swung the hammer and smashed right through the thick timber. The head of the wooden Viking went sailing through the air and clattered to the ground near Stormfly, who had been curled up asleep on the ground. She woke with a squawk and retreated to stand near Skull Crusher.

The chief paid no heed; his hammer made short work of the other wooden carvings, and he smashed them to pieces, whilst Astrid continued to take out her own rage on the remaining cloth and straw dummies. By the time they were finished, the arena was a mess, and the dummies reduced to splinters. "Feel better?" Stoick inquired, once he'd caught his breath.

Astrid bit her lip, eyes filled with tears. "Not really" she confessed. Her face crumpled, and she buried it in his beard. Caught off guard, Stoick nonetheless put an arm around her shoulder comfortingly as she wept. He shed a few tears of his own. "It's not fair" she spat, thumping a fist weakly against his chest. "He didn't have to go. It's not _fair_!"

 _No, it isn't._ Stoick agreed with her wholeheartedly, but there was nothing he could say to ease her pain. He knew that, because her pain was his pain also, and it felt like nothing would ever fill the gaping hole in his heart where Hiccup, Valka and even Toothless had been. As the chief of Berk, especially in the years of the war, Stoick had helped many of his people through their grief. _It's so much easier,_ he reflected, _when you're not the one grieving._

In silent unison, they went to sit down on a bench at the arena's perimeter. For a few long moments, neither of them spoke, though their dragons came nearer to give wordless (as far as the humans knew) support. At last, Astrid murmured "Don't worry, Chief. I'll get the others to help me clean this place up in the morning." With splinters and straw everywhere, the ring was a sorry sight.

Stoick nodded absently. "You'll need new training dummies" he observed.

Astrid sighed and leaned back against the wall. "What's the point in training without Hiccup?" she asked rhetorically. Then her brow furrowed. "…On second thoughts, Chief, you're right. I need to keep training, so if I ever see those wretched cowards who _dared_ to take him from me, I can murder every single one of them, and make sure they _never_ hurt anyone I love again. They don't deserve to live." Her fists were clenched around the hilt of the sword.

"Aye" Stoick agreed, "they don't." It was strange, really. Hiccup had always reminded him of Valka, so much that it hurt sometimes. Astrid though, she actually reminded Stoick of himself. He had been a lot like her in his youth; passionate, honour bound, a fierce warrior. That was until a certain auburn haired Valkyrie had fought at his side against a common enemy, and sang her way into his heart, and brought out his softer side. He remembered being able to hold their newborn son in the palms of his hands…

"We have to find them" Astrid declared, cutting through the haze of Stoick's memories. "Even if we have to scour the whole coast of Myrkr. I just…Argh! I cannot _believe_ those cowards! First they murder him, then they just leave him there and disappear off to Thor knows where?!" she cried, leaping to her feet and pacing back and forth, describing the gruesome fate she had in store for the hunters who had killed Hiccup when she found them.

Stoick, however, frowned thoughtfully. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened, what he'd seen…but the more he thought about it, the less it made sense. Why would the hunters flee right after killing Hiccup? Unless they guessed he was being followed. But why leave his body in a rowboat, as if to give him a proper send-off? Stoick shuddered. He couldn't get the image of Hiccup's headless body out of his mind. It would haunt him forever.

Only, that was the other thing that didn't make sense. Why beheading? There were much quicker ways to end a life. Stoick didn't want to think about all the ways his only son could have been killed, but he couldn't stop himself. The hunters could have stabbed him, choked him, cracked his skull; but they'd cut off his head. It was a clean blow, not one dealt in the heat of battle. And the only reason Stoick could think of why someone who wasn't sentenced to death would be beheaded was…was so that…

"Odin's spear" he swore, rising suddenly to his feet. Distracted from her rant, Astrid looked up at him in concern. She asked if he was alright, but Stoick wasn't listening. He'd just been struck with an epiphany. In his mind's eye he saw, clear as day, the headless corpse wearing Hiccup's clothes, with Hiccup's prosthetic. Convincing, but it had just now occurred to Stoick that if the body was headless, _how could he be absolutely certain that it was actually Hiccup?_

"Astrid, you have Hiccup's peg, don't you? Fly home and fetch it, please" Stoick insisted. He had to know, and there was one way to find out. Once Stormfly and Astrid had left the arena, Stoick cursed more colourfully. He wished he'd stopped to think before. He waited impatiently until Astrid returned. When she landed, she held the peg out to him; he took it and told her, "It's time you went to bed, Astrid."

"But, Chief" –

"I'll give it back in the morning. Please, Astrid."

Stoick didn't look up to watch them go. He gazed at the masterfully crafted prosthetic in his hands, the only piece of Hiccup they had left. It was a poor substitute. He longed to hold his son, not this lump of wood and metal. "Skull Crusher", he called his dragon to him. Stoick held the wooden end of the peg to the Rumblehorn's snout. "Does it smell like Hiccup?" he asked. He prayed to any gods who still had mercy that his hunch was correct.

Skull Crusher sniffed deeply, nostrils flaring. At last, he nodded his great head, moaning _regret._ Stoick hung his head. His hand fell to his side, loosely clutching the peg. He was gripped by a sudden urge to hurl the wretched thing into the ocean, to join the remains of his only son; bury the ghosts so they would not haunt him. That one flicker of hope had been extinguished. Stoick was so tired.

* * *

He didn't know where he was. He couldn't really feel his body. His head felt fuzzy, like it was full of sheep's wool. He could hear waves. He could smell the sea. Was he on a shore? But he could feel the ground beneath him moving, shifting steadily up and down. Why was it moving? He tried to move. With what felt like far too much effort, he managed to curl his fingers.

That simple movement brought him back to his body. Hiccup immediately longed to return to the blissful oblivion he'd been in moments before, as pain radiated through him. Everything hurt. Memories rushed back, cutting through the fog like knives. What they'd done to him. Flogged him. Sheared him. Beaten him. Branded him. No, they hadn't beaten him, Hauke…Hauke had beaten…

 _Toothless._ Hiccup forced his eyes open. He was met with a view of Toothless' tail, curled around him and tucked under his head like a scaly pillow. Hiccup was laid out on his stomach on a blanket he didn't remember being in the cage, and from the warmth and steady breathing to his left, Toothless was lying between him and the door. Protecting him. He remembered Toothless crooning a lullaby to him. Hiccup curled his fingers around the dragon's tail.

At once, Toothless nuzzled him, rubbing a cool snout against his cheek and temple. *It's okay, Hiccup* the dragon purred gently, *go back to sleep. I won't let them hurt you.*

Falling asleep again was very tempting. Instead, Hiccup began struggling to sit up. He had questions that only Toothless could answer. At first the Night Fury urged him to rest, save his strength; but when he refused to give up, Hiccup felt the tail slide under his chest and lift him. He dragged his legs underneath him, and wound up kneeling on the rumpled blanket. That simple movement exhausted him, and he panted heavily. *You didn't have to do that.*

Gathering all his strength, Hiccup raised his head and looked Toothless in the eye. "Toothless…thank you" he murmured hoarsely, throat parched. The dragon crooned affectionately. *You're welcome* he replied, and waited, knowing that Hiccup would not put so much effort into this if there wasn't more he wanted to say. After taking a few moments to catch his breath, Hiccup asked, "Why…didn't you tell me that we can feel each other's pain?"

Toothless closed his eyes in shame. *I didn't have time…and I didn't want you to worry about me. I'm sorry* he explained, whining. Hiccup sighed, and reached out to place a hand on his face, now free of the muzzle. "I didn't tell you they hurt me because I didn't want _you_ to worry. But you knew. The whole time."

*Yes. And it's not just pain…we are one, we feel what the other feels, now.*

Hiccup shivered. Toothless wrapped a wing around him, resting lightly on his back. Only now did he realise there were bandages wrapped around him, the cloth stained reddish brown with his blood. It still felt like he was being whipped, as spasms of pain shot through him. With a shaking hand, Hiccup reached up to feel his hair – or rather, what was left of it. All his auburn bangs and braids had been sliced off, leaving a short fuzz against his scalp.

He knew Onarr had cropped hair, but he didn't think…Hiccup remembered what else they'd done to make him 'look the part' of a thrall. Unable to stop himself, he peered down at his left shoulder. It was covered with bandages, but he knew what was underneath. Hiccup tried to tell himself it didn't matter. His hair would grow back. He could cover or disguise the brand. He just had to figure out how to escape, and then they could go home and never think about this again.

Toothless ear-flaps pricked. Someone was coming. He rose to his feet and placed himself between Hiccup and the monsters, growling, letting fire build in his jaws. They had taken off the muzzle. That would be the first and last mistake they made. The pulley-cage clanked as it reached that deck, and a hunter stepped out, armed with a bow and quiver full of dragon root arrows.

Still holding fire in his jaws, Toothless swept his tail around to bat away the arrows, curved the tough scales of his wings to block them. Hiccup stayed kneeling behind him, watching the hunter, whom he dubbed 'Scarface', warily. The man unlocked the grate and tossed something draped over his shoulder through it. "Put your tunic back on and come with me" he ordered.

Hiccup frowned, suspicious. "Come with you where?" he demanded.

"Chief wants me to escort you to the surgeon. Get your wounds tended to before you work. You should consider yourself lucky, thrall."

"My name is Hiccup."

"That's a thrall's name. Did your last master call you that? Argh!" Scarface yelled, leaping back as a fireball exploded right in front of him. Toothless growled, already charging another blast. Scarface scowled, his namesake making it look even more grotesque. Deftly, he plucked an arrow from the quiver and notched it, aiming the point through the bars at the dragon.

"Don't you dare!" Hiccup cried, even as Toothless braced himself.

"Oh, I dare. I'm the best marksman on this ship. An arrow will hit the dragon eventually, and then you'll both be in pain. Or should I say more pain."

This was what Hiccup had been afraid of; why he'd refused to tell anyone of the heart bind until he had no other choice. The hunters were using his bond with Toothless against him. "Stop! I'll come with you" he said, dragging the tunic to himself and tugging it over his head. Toothless growl-whined. *Hiccup, don't go. Stay here where I can protect you!*

Hiccup struggled to his feet, using Toothless as a crutch. "It's okay, bud. I don't want them to hurt you…us. I'll be fine" he insisted, trying to convince himself more than his dragon. What could happen next played out in his head. He'd pretend to give in, and just as Scarface opened the cage door, Toothless could charge him and knock him out. They'd steal the keys, free the other dragons and bust out of the ship, get a ride back to Berk. This could be their chance.

 _Hauke was standing over him. "Disobey, try to escape, and you will be made to spend the night in the barracks with the crew. I can assure you it will not be a pleasant experience." Onarr glared at him. "Sigurd and I tried to escape once. You do not want to know what they did to us afterwards." An arm pinned him against the wall, hot breath whispered in his ear. "Do you have any idea, what they're going to do to you?"_

Hiccup snapped out of it when Toothless nudged him. *Don't go* the dragon begged him, pupils wide but unhappy. *Please.* Hiccup longed to stay, to feel safe, but they weren't safe. Scarface still had the arrows and he would hit Toothless in this enclosed space. "I'm sorry, Toothless" he apologised, leaning over to embrace his friend. He felt the warmth in his chest surge; the pain was pushed back. Through the heart bind, Toothless was giving him strength.

" _Thank you_ " he whispered, before straightening. "I'm ready" he told Scarface, adding a reluctant, "Sir." The hunter took a key and unlocked the pen. Straightaway, Hiccup saw that there were no other keys on the ring. Hauke had already anticipated that he might try to take out the guard, now that Toothless' muzzle was off. _So much for that plan. I really hate these guys._

Scarface led him to a part of the ship he hadn't been before; the sick bay. It wasn't a very welcoming place, with knives hanging on the wall and straps on the wooden gurney, probably to hold someone down whilst the surgeon amputated…Hiccup's stump throbbed. The sick bay on this ship looked more like a torture chamber. _I really wish I hadn't thought that._

The surgeon was an old man. He made Hiccup take off his tunic and sit on the gurney, then started unwrapping the bandages. Hiccup didn't want to look, but he couldn't stop himself. There on his shoulder was exactly what he'd dreaded; the slavemark. A serpent curved into the shape of an 'S'. Beneath it were two smaller letters, a 'D' and 'B'. _Initials, for Drago Bludvist_ he realised. It was a mark of ownership. A mark of shame and servitude. A mark of the damned.

"By Thor" the surgeon grimaced, "those are some nasty gashes. The quartermaster must have really been laying into you last night; did you say something to upset him?" he inquired as he cleaned the wounds.

"…I think he would have hit that hard anyway" Hiccup replied at last.

"Perhaps. You want to be careful not to get on his bad side; you're too skinny to handle getting flogged like that again. Next time all the skin could come off your back, and believe me, I've seen that, it's not pretty" the surgeon commented. He wasn't treating Hiccup as badly as Flogger and Beater had, but Hiccup could not forget that this man had likely been there on deck the other night, watching as Hiccup was whipped half to death. He didn't need or want the man's pity.

"I'll keep that in mind…sir."

The surgeon applied a salve to the brand, which smelled awful but cooled the burning skin. He gave Hiccup medicine to drink, telling him to "hold your nose and gulp it down." It tasted foul. Then he pushed a crescent shaped piece of wood into Hiccup's mouth and advised him to bite down whilst he stitched up the worst of the gashes. Hiccup grit his teeth and clenched his fists on the edge of the gurney as the needle poked through his skin. _I really hope it was clean._

At last the ordeal was over; the surgeon finished stitching the gashes and began bandaging him up again. "Wait!" Hiccup exclaimed, "Could…could you leave the bandages off, please?" The surgeon paused, and gave him an incredulous look. Hiccup gulped and explained, "It's just that my Night Fury, his saliva has healing properties. He – I mean, I'd feel better if he tended to my wounds…sir."

The surgeon rubbed his beard thoughtfully. He briefly rummaged through his things and returned with a small vial. "Bring me some of this healing dragon spit every time you come, and I'll leave the bandages off."

"…Every time I come?"

"Yes. You need to come back here every day until your wounds have scarred. Or until your master sells you, whichever comes first" the surgeon shrugged, reminding Hiccup once more that aside from Toothless, he had no friends in this horrible place. _Except, Toothless didn't put that blanket in our cell…so who did?_

Hiccup took the vial. "I'll get you some of his saliva…sir. Just, don't expect it to do anything miraculous" he warned. The last thing he wanted was for the surgeon to think Toothless' saliva was some kind of incredible cure-all and try to harvest it, or something.

"Oh, of course not. Have a nice day" the surgeon waved as Scarface led him out of the room. Hiccup was beginning to think the man was touched in the head.

* * *

The first chore of the day was usually to help prepare breakfast for the crew, but since Hiccup had been in the sick bay, that burden had fallen mostly to Onarr. "It's about time you showed up" the ginger muttered irritably when Hiccup appeared, "I had to do half of your share of the work whilst you dawdled in the sick bay."

Hiccup scowled. He was trying to be understanding, knowing that Onarr was hurting from Sigurd's murder, but the man was really beginning to test his patience. "I'm so sorry my getting whipped is inconvenient for you" he retorted, voice so thick with sarcasm it could have been spread on toast.

"It is, actually. We're supposed to split the chores evenly, and we can't do that if you're always having to be patched up after a punishment."

Hiccup seethed. "I didn't _ask_ for this!" he protested.

"Neither did I. My father was a thrall, and I am also; nobody asks for their place in life, it's just what you're born into" Sigurd replied with a shrug.

"But I wasn't born into this! I'm an _heir_. It's my birthright" Hiccup insisted. He tried to ignore the persistent voice in his head whispering _A birthright you rejected, look where that got you._

"Thralls can't be chieftains. You lost your 'birthright' when they marked you."

"Onarr, this is wrong. You must know this is wrong. You can't possibly _like_ it here" he pressed, making a desperate attempt to reach out.

After a few tense moments, Onarr admitted, "I don't."

"Then help me. If we work together, we can both esc" –

"Shush! Keep your voice down, do you want the whole ship to hear? Look, if you want to do that, it's your problem. I'm not taking that risk, not again."

"Why?" Hiccup demanded, agitated, "What did they do to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it" Onarr refused…before adding in solemn tones, "Some…some punishments leave scars you can't see."

"Do you think this is what Sigurd would" –

"Shut up" Onarr glared, "You don't say his name. He's gone and nothing you do or say will bring him back…or make me forgive you."

Hiccup sighed and went back to the chore, reluctantly giving Onarr up as a lost cause. He had to focus on saving himself and Toothless, nobody else.

* * *

It was a long day. His back and shoulder hurt, even with the heart bind giving him strength. Scarface followed him around the ship, but didn't stop the rest of the crew from insulting and criticising him; especially the cabin boys, who seemed to love having someone below even them in the pecking order to bully.

The hunters called him thrall, runt, whelp, brat; they mocked him at every opportunity. He didn't get a chance to see Toothless; Onarr took the job of feeding the dragons, leaving him to do laundry and cleaning dishes. He had to spend more time around Hauke than he wanted to, which was all of it, and though he'd worked out that Adulfr must have given him the blanket (it was Sigurd's blanket, he realised), Hiccup couldn't thank him. The one time he'd seen Adulfr, the teen had brushed past him as if he wasn't even there.

Each time a hunter belittled him, each time they looked at him with contempt; whenever they swiped or kicked or spat at him, when the cooks looked impatient when he asked for food or water (that, thankfully, they didn't deny him); Hiccup felt hollowed out inside. It was horrible…and horribly familiar. It felt uncomfortably similar to the way things had been before the war ended.

No; that was unfair. Even on the worst days, he'd never been treated this badly back on Berk. Most people, back then, had simply been indifferent to him, except for Gobber and his father. Being aboard this ship was like being trapped amongst a whole crew-full of Snotlouts and Dagurs as they'd been before they stopped being such jerks. Only these hunters were even worse.

Hiccup felt so homesick his heart ached. The only bit of home he had was Toothless, and it was such a relief when Scarface finally led him back to the cell. His friend growled at Scarface until the hunter had gone; then the snarls became purrs and Toothless licked him enthusiastically. Hiccup laughed in spite of himself. "I missed you too, bud" he smiled; then he groaned, clutching at his left shoulder, as a burst of pain shot through the brand.

*I know it hurts* Toothless moaned sympathetically. *I'll be careful* he promised, as he helped Hiccup kneel on the blanket. Hiccup trusted Toothless with his life; he tugged off the tunic, wincing as it pulled against his wounds. The dragon gave a heartbreaking whine at the sight of the angry red, blistering skin of the burn, the ugly welts and stitched gashes criss-crossing his beloved's back.

*Oh, Hiccup* he crooned. First he lapped some water from the small trough to cool his tongue, and then gingerly licked the burn. At the feel of the cool water on his burning skin, Hiccup moaned in relief. Toothless could see the burn made a mark like a snake, with two symbols beneath it that he didn't understand. *I've never seen a burn like this before* he said as he licked it tenderly.

"It's not a burn" Hiccup replied, wincing. "It's a brand; the worst brand. It's a slavemark." He felt tears prick at his eyes. "I thought…when we escaped, we could just go home and forget this ever happened. But now, with this", he gestured at the brand, "I can't escape it. I'll always have these scars."

Toothless sighed. *Maybe we shouldn't forget. Can you lie down? I can't reach* he prompted. Hiccup stretched out on his stomach, giving Toothless room to lick the welts and cuts on his back. The dragon was as gentle as he could be, but Hiccup still winced and hissed in pain. *There's something I need to ask you* he said slowly, *and I promise I'm not trying to make you feel worse…but why did you want to go to Myrkr alone?*

Hiccup stiffened. He'd closed his eyes, but now they flew open. "I…you know why. To find more Night Furies" he replied, uneasy. Toothless kept licking his wounds even as the dragon spoke. *Yes, but why alone? Why not ask your friends to come? They've been on plenty of adventures with us before.*

"I, I know, but…look, I don't want to talk about it" Hiccup refused, stubbornly turning his head away and shutting his eyes. Toothless fell silent for a while. Finally, he heard the dragon whine. *I don't blame you* he crooned reassuringly, *This isn't your fault. If anything, it's mine.*

That made no sense. "What makes you think this is your fault?" Hiccup questioned, brow furrowed. Toothless nuzzled him. *You didn't fly yourself to Myrkr. I brought you there. I thought I could protect you, but I failed.* The dragon moaned, low and mournful. Hiccup felt a sudden, inexplicable twinge of guilt. He remembered what Toothless said before about feeling what the other felt; he was sensing his other half's emotions through their bond.

"No, you didn't" he insisted, looking over his shoulder at Toothless. The movement pulled on his injuries, making him wince, but he persisted. "You didn't fail, Toothless. Going to Myrkr was my idea; you trusted me and I…I let you down" he admitted, hanging his head in shame. The dragon nuzzled him, licked his burned shoulder. *You could never let me down.*

Toothless kept licking his wounds; the pain eased, and Hiccup sighed in relief. "Thanks, bud…" he murmured. Then he grew pensive. This was a talk he knew they needed to have, but that didn't make it any easier. "You're right; it was stupid to go alone. What am I saying? It was stupid to go at all. I just wanted one more adventure before…"

*Before what?*

Hiccup sighed heavily. "You ever feel like the future is coming too fast, when all you want is for things to stay the same?" he asked.

Toothless' tail flicked back and forth as he considered it. *Sometimes* he said finally, *but the future comes whether you want it to or not.*

Hiccup groaned, in frustration rather than pain. "That's the worst part; I know this is stupid, and selfish. I shouldn't feel this way! I should be happy, my life is great! At least, it was, before…" he groaned again and buried his face in his arms. Toothless ceased licking his wounds for now and lay down beside him.

*Don't be so hard on yourself* he admonished gently. *I know how you feel. I hate 'if's too, and the future is the biggest 'if' of all.*

Hiccup wasn't entirely sure what to make of that, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead he took a deep breath, and tried to put his twisted up feelings into words. "I'm twenty" he said at last, "I'm a man now, I'm supposed to…to stop exploring and going on adventures. I should be settling down and…y'know, Astrid's parents kept dropping hints, about me proposing to her. And it's not that I don't _want_ to marry her" he declared quickly, "but, marriage is a, a big commitment – and what if she gets pregnant? I'm not ready to be a father.

"And _my_ father is – he wants me to take over as Chief, but I, I don't know if I'm ready. I don't know if I'll _ever_ be ready. I never really wanted to be Chief" he confessed, "I can lead but, all the speeches and planning and running the village, that's not me, that's _his_ thing. And he's Stoick the Vast, one of the greatest chieftains Berk has ever had. How am I supposed to live up to someone that – that brave and selfless?"

*It shouldn't be too hard* Toothless remarked, purring affectionately. *You're the most brave and selfless person I know.* Hiccup, touched, smiled for the first time since they'd been captured. Toothless folded a wing over him and commented, *That's the odd thing about us dragons and you humans. Our bodies grow faster than our minds, but your minds grow faster than your bodies* he said, rather cryptically in Hiccup's opinion.

"What do you mean?"

*Well, you're full grown, and you're saying that means you have to stop doing fun fledgling stuff, find a mate, raise some young and be all mature and adult.*

"Yeah…pretty much."

*Maybe how old your body is doesn't matter. My body is sixty years old, and I still love playing hatchling games like chasing light spots and wrestling and batting things around. Oh, and licking you. It's fun to watch you squirm* Toothless admitted, demonstrating by swiping his tongue over Hiccup's cheek.

The young man stared at him, wide-eyed. "You're sixty?! I mean…you look good for your age" he added hastily. Then it occurred to him that if dragons could live for centuries, sixty was young for them. "I get it" he said slowly, "You're saying I shouldn't worry so much about the future, because I'm still young and now, there's gonna be a lot more future. I guess…if we're really gonna live for three hundred years, there'll be plenty of time for adventures when we're older."

*And possibly wiser, but with us I wouldn't bet on it* Toothless teased. Hiccup's smile grew wider. *I really do know how you feel, though* the dragon continued, *Like you're expected to do more than you're ready for.*

"Yeah…" Hiccup was glad his other half understood, but… "But, it's not really the same, is it? Everyone expects me to be the Hero of Berk. Nobody expects you to do anything except help defend the village and try to eat your own body weight in fish" he teased, feeling well enough to nudge the dragon with his elbow. Toothless licked him in retaliation.

*First, flying takes a lot of strength. Especially when we're carrying extra weight. Second, that's not what I meant. The humans in our pack might not expect anything of me, but the dragons do* Toothless confessed. Hiccup stared at him, surprised. *When we killed _Her,_ the Fire-Giant, the old queen…they all expected me to take over the pack. To be the alpha…but I didn't claim it. I didn't want it.*

"But…but you'd be a great alpha! Much better than the last one" Hiccup insisted, "and you're better looking, too."

*Thanks. It's not that I wouldn't be a good alpha – your friends dragons, my friends, they pledged to follow me as alpha even if I never claimed the title. I guess I must be a good choice if even Hookfang is willing to follow me. But leading the whole pack…I never saw myself doing that. Not without you.*

Hiccup blinked. "Me? You…you didn't claim the title of alpha, because of me?"

*We both defeated the Fire-Giant. You couldn't claim the title, so I didn't either* Toothless acknowledged. Hiccup's mind was reeling.

"No…you shouldn't give up being alpha just for my sake, Toothless. Don't let me being human keep you from claiming the title – you'd be a great alpha."

*So would you. If you really don't want to be a human alpha – how about being a dragon alpha? You can understand us now, there's nothing stopping us both claiming the title.*

"Heh. I don't think my dad would be too pleased."

*Tell you what, when we get home we can ask him if you can be the alpha with me, and if he says no, I'll just sit on him until he agrees* Toothless offered. The mental image made Hiccup giggle, which pulled painfully at his wounds. "Ow…don't make me laugh, it hurts."

Toothless craned his neck to give the burn and gashes a few last licks, soothing the pain. *I'll keep watch* he declared, *Try and get some sleep, you're exhausted.*

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Yes, mister bossy" he grumbled half-heartedly, resting his head on his arms and closing his eyes. "Don't worry, bud. I'll get us out of here. I'll think of something. I…", he yawned, "promise…g'night…"

Toothless crooned and wrapped his wing a little tighter around his sleeping human. *Goodnight, little brother.*


	7. Chapter 7 - Wearing Down

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Seven – Wearing Down

True to his word, because he didn't want to find out what would happen if he failed, Hiccup filled the vial with Toothless' saliva (the dragon thought it was weird, but he let Hiccup do it anyway) and gave it to the surgeon. The man was thrilled, informing him that his wounds were scarring faster than anything ever seen, and attributing this to the healing properties of Night Fury spit.

It was true that Toothless' licking his wounds helped them scab over and begin healing; but the true reason for his fast recovery was the heart bind. Toothless explained that because their life forces were entwined, a little bit of his strength was flowing through the bond to Hiccup, helping the human's body heal faster. Toothless had nothing to do except sleep, eat and relieve himself; he had plenty of energy to spare, even if most of it was going to waste in the cage.

Hiccup desperately wanted to set his friend free to fly. It galled him to have to wake every morning before dawn, get looked over by the surgeon and then be forced to do mind-numbing chores or wait on Hauke. He was always on the lookout for an opportunity to steal some keys and release all the dragons; their best chance to escape was still to get a ride home with their fellow captives.

At first he'd been afraid that the other dragons still wouldn't trust him; but it seemed they'd all heard about his attempt to help the Sail-Back drake, who said his name was Libon. Between the fact that he treated them with more kindness than they'd expected from a human, and that he was the first human to ever heart bind with a dragon, the dragons came to trust him more.

The real difficulty that Hiccup had was that the hunters just would not leave him alone. Whoever was sent to fetch him in the morning (it was someone different each time) would 'keep an eye' on him for the rest of the day. If they caught his attention wandering, they'd cuff or kick him and tell him to get on with his chores. Angered by the indignity of it all, Hiccup couldn't resist insulting them in his head or under his breath. If he insulted them to their faces, he'd be hit.

He tried to tell himself that he was just biding his time. That the plan he formed would be foolproof, one the dragon hunters would never see coming. Hiccup sustained himself with thoughts of what he was going to do when he got home. Hug his father. Kiss Astrid. Joke with Gobber. Tell Fishlegs what he'd learned about dragons. Have a friendly spar with Snotlout. Get pranked by the twins.

This would happen. He and Toothless would go home. They had to. He could only imagine how heartbroken everyone was, believing him dead. Despite how things had been, Hiccup was loyal to Berk. It was why, despite talking about it, he'd never simply flown off with Toothless. Now things were better, and he had a duty to return to his tribe…though whether to lead them, or the dragons, he still wasn't entirely sure.

For now, he would play along with Hauke's game. A few days after being whipped, Hiccup was brought out on deck, where chain nets had been spread out from the rigging to the stern, creating a makeshift tent-like cage. "It's high time you started proving your worth" Hauke remarked when the hunter assigned to watch him led Hiccup over, "by training these dragons for battle."

"Battle with whom?" Hiccup asked incredulously. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a hand being raised to cuff him, and instinctively ducked away. " _Sir_ " he added quickly, spitting the word as if it were poison. Hiccup adamantly refused to call Hauke 'master', and so far he'd managed to get away with just 'sir'. Although he hated calling any of them that; he did _not_ respect these monsters.

Hauke replied, "With other dragons, mainly."

"But dragons already know how to fight other dragons! What do you need me to train them for?" Hiccup demanded. Hauke declined to answer; instead he motioned for his men to put Hiccup in the ring. They shoved him into a cage that had one side cut away, and locked the door behind him. "Don't I at least get a shield or something?" he protested, given he was basically defenceless.

"Did your parents teach you no manners?" Hauke questioned rhetorically. He looked at his son, who had come to watch but wouldn't meet Hiccup's eyes. "Adulfr, what do you do if you want something?"

"I ask politely and don't complain if you say no" Adulfr replied solemnly, without meeting his father's eyes either. He looked as if he'd gotten no sleep.

"Precisely. Now, let's try that again" Hauke said to Hiccup, as if to a disobedient child. "If you say, 'please may I have a shield, master?', I might consider it."He gave Hiccup a pointed look; the young man ground his teeth and clenched his fists. _I hate this, I hate this, I hate this!_

"Forget it. I'll manage without one" he refused, turning his back on Hauke and stepping forwards. The dragons liked him, or at least tolerated him. Surely they wouldn't deliberately attack him. The first two dragons to be sent into the ring were both Nadders - no, wait, Spike-Tails. Hiccup was trying to think of the dragons with the names they gave to themselves. It felt more respectful, and they deserved it far more.

After so long in the darkness of the cages, they squinted and hissed at the light. They screeched viciously at the hunters, breathing plumes of white-hot fire that splashed and sparked off of the metal nets. The hunters ducked, patted out their singed clothes and hair, and yelled insults back. Then one of the Spike-Tails, a green drakaina named Emrel, spotted Hiccup. She bristled, spikes raised.

"It's okay" he said hastily, holding his palms up to show he wasn't holding any weapons. "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you. Uh, please don't hurt me…" Hiccup tentatively approached Emrel, and the yellow drake, Topaz. It was hard to stay in both their blind spots, so he didn't try. They eyed him warily and circled him, tails batting from side to side, ready to strike in moments.

*What are you doing in here?* Topaz demanded.

"Uh…they sort of want me to train you. To fight" Hiccup admitted, before quickly adding "But I don't want to! It's just…I don't think I have much choice, so could you maybe, y'know, play along?" he asked tentatively. Slowly, Hiccup reached out to them, keeping his gaze between them instead of looking at one or the other, watching them from the corners of his eyes.

"Are you sure you don't want this shield?" Hauke inquired casually.

Without looking back, Hiccup replied coldly, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"I'm not sure if that's brave or foolish. Probably the latter; not many people would want to be defenceless when trapped with angry dragons" Hauke remarked. Hiccup was about to point out that the Spike-Tails weren't angry, at least not at him, when he heard the creak of the cage door opening. A hunter threw something in; a large chunk of fresh dragon root.

Eyes wide, Hiccup looked back at the Spike-Tails, both of whom were staring at the root with slit pupils, nostrils flared. "Oh, no. Guys, c'mon, don't- Argh!" He was forced to duck as the dragons charged past him, almost trampling him in their lunge towards the root. In seconds they devolved into mindless beasts, jaws snatching at the root as if it were a hunk of meat and screeching wordlessly at each other. The worst part was that he knew Topaz and Emrel were good friends.

Hiccup began to edge around the perimeter of the cage, trying to give the maddened dragons a very wide berth. It would have been easier if not for the hunters, who hollered and rattled the chains, agitating the Spike-Tails even more. Emrel looked up and spotted Hiccup, who froze like a rabbit in front of a fox – her eyes narrowed and she leapt forwards, mouth gaping.

He dived out of the way of a blast of fire, scrambling away towards the cage door. Emrel chased him, trying to drive him away from her 'prize'. Topaz started dragging the root away; Emrel spun around and flicked spines at Hiccup as she charged after the other dragon, the two of them snapping and clawing at each other. Flattening himself, Hiccup barely avoided getting skewered. "Let me out of here!" he yelled, banging on the inside of the locked door with his fists.

"Well, perhaps if you ask politely I'll consider it" Hauke replied calmly.

Hiccup glared at him. "Let me out! _Please_ " he said desperately, "If you don't they'll kill me! And if I die, Toothless dies, and there goes your present to your crazy boss." It felt good to turn the tables for a moment and try to manipulate Hauke for a change. The man couldn't risk him and Toothless dying.

"What an insufferable brat you are. You do realise that if you and the Night Fury did perish, I would simply bring the dragons I still have to Drago? Your deaths would be an inconvenience at most" Hauke countered. "You know what to say to be given a shield or be allowed out of the cage. Either say it, or face the consequences" he threatened.

Hiccup did know what he was supposed to say, but he refused. He looked back at Topaz and Emrel, who had torn the root to pieces in their squabbling. They were going to seriously hurt each other if someone didn't stop them. With one last defiant glare at Hauke, Hiccup ran towards the dragons. In unison, they both turned and screamed at him, caught off guard by his sudden movement.

Keeping up momentum, Hiccup ducked and rolled underneath Emrel as she lunged at him, jaws snapping. He came up and jabbed his fingers into the underside of her jaw, in her 'sweet spot'. She collapsed, and he used her bulk as a shield against Topaz, staying in the Spike-Tails blind spot before also diving under his jaw and firmly scratching the bundle of nerve endings to make him slump bonelessly to the ground. Hiccup panted with the adrenaline rush.

The hunters booed and complained that it wasn't as entertaining anymore. Ignoring them, Hiccup tightened his peg – the stupid thing had come loose – and carefully gathered up the pieces of dragon root. He carried them over to the cage door and demanded, "Let me out of here so I can toss this in the ocean."

Bluntly, Hauke refused. Frustrated, Hiccup protested "You want me to train these Nadders? I can't do that if they're not in their right minds! Either you get rid of this dragon root and give me a shield, or let me out so I can do it myself."

"I will, when you show some respect and call me master."

" _Never_."

"Then the Nadders can tear you to shreds for all I care. Oh, it seems they're waking up" Hauke noted, looking past Hiccup at the two dragons. The effects of scratching their sweet spots had worn off and they were getting back to their feet. It was only a matter of time before they smelled the dragon root he was holding and came after it – and him. "Say it, and I'll let you out."

Emrel and Topaz noticed the root and advanced, salivating and hissing. Hiccup drew back instinctively; his back pressed against the hard metal of the cage door, aggravating the lash marks. "Argh!" He cried out in pain and vexation; unfortunately this only riled the Spike-Tails up even more. They both roared and lunged forwards, cornering him in the cage that formed the door of the larger chain-net tent. The only reason they couldn't get to him was that they were too large to both fit through the gap. They snapped at each other and at Hiccup.

Heart thudding, Hiccup yelled "Let me out!"

"Say the magic word" Hauke demanded, far too calmly. The hunters watched on with undisguised glee, clearly hoping to either see him get torn to pieces by root-mad Nadders, or hear him beg. Hiccup hated to do it, but he couldn't stay in there – he'd be killed – and he wouldn't throw the root to Emrel and Topaz for them to kill each other over. Oh, but he _hated, hated, hated_ how Hauke was treating him like a puppet with strings to be pulled!

" _Please_ let me out!"

"Wrong word. It's two syllables, it's not that hard" Hauke mocked. His men laughed; some of them jeered at Hiccup, calling him dumb as a dragon.

"They're not dumb!" he shouted back; although it might have been "I'm not dumb!" He knew perfectly well what the 'magic word' was. He just couldn't bring himself to say it. The very thought made him physically recoil; he'd lost almost everything except Toothless and his self-respect. Of course, then Hauke _had_ to make the one threat he knew Hiccup couldn't ignore.

"Perhaps we should put the Night Fury in there" the cruel Chief suggested, "so he can defend his precious human – or attack him for the dragon-root."

"No!" Hiccup cried out. He struggled with himself for a few moments, swallowed his pride and the bile rising in his throat and choked out "Master _, please_ let me out of here!"

The door behind him opened and Hiccup was dragged out by the back of his tunic. He staggered and barely managed to keep from dropping the dragon root. Thankfully, nobody stopped him from rushing to the side of the ship and throwing the root overboard. Hiccup then followed that up with a donation of vomit, gasping and dry heaving. The constant pitching of the deck didn't help.

Before he could catch his breath, rough hands grabbed him and hauled him away from the bulwark, pushing him to his knees in front of Hauke. The motion made his head spin and he clamped his hands over his mouth. He just knew that if he retched now they'd make him clean it up. Once he was sure he wasn't going to throw up again, Hiccup looked up at his tormentor. He tried to glare defiantly, but it felt like more of a pained grimace.

Hauke then did the last thing he expected; held out a tankard and asked him, "Do you want a drink?" Without thinking Hiccup reached for it, but Hauke pulled it away. "Ah, ah, ah. Ask nicely" Hauke scolded, as if Hiccup were a child. "Didn't anyone ever teach you manners? You know what to say" he prompted.

Hiccup bit back a groan. He didn't want to give Hauke the satisfaction…but his throat was parched, and his mouth tasted of sick… _Just say it_ he told himself, trying to work up the nerve. _Just get it over with. He…he probably wants me to refuse. So he has an excuse to let them…beat me up. I'm doing this for me, not him._ He just had to say two little words, and he'd get a drink and not get beaten.

It was still so damn hard to make himself say it. "M-master, please, can I have a drink?" he forced himself to ask. It made his stomach curl, the way Hauke smirked, pleased to see him begging like a dog. The tankard was handed to him and he forced himself to sip from it, clinging to the shreds of his dignity.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

He nearly choked. _Why can't they just give me a break?_ He didn't have to ask what that meant. He knew. He just had to say the word. Just one little…demeaning, wretched word. _Here goes nothing._ Hiccup stalled a few more seconds by having another drink, but he knew Hauke's patience would only last so long. "…Thank you, m-m" – he had to force down another wave of nausea before he could get the word out. "Master."

Gods, what was wrong with him? Since when did he grovel like this? "Good boy" Hauke nodded, patting him on the head as if he really was a dog. Hiccup flinched. The hunters laughed at him, and he wished they'd all go jump in the sea. "Stand up" Hauke ordered. Hiccup obeyed; only because the deck was hard, and his knees were getting sore. Not because he was Hauke's…he was a Viking, not a thrall!

* * *

Hauke declared that Emrel ("the green one") had won the fight. The hunters dragged her out of the net ring, muzzled her and chained her up near the prow. Topaz was forced below deck. Then they brought out two Sail-Backs; Libon and Crusher. Once the dragons were released into the cage, they started circling each other, stamping and flaring their wings aggressively.

*You got to fly yesterday. Let me win this time!* Crusher demanded, snarling.

Libon growled, *Fine, but when they put you back below don't start whining about how much your flank hurts!*

As the Sail-Backs sized each other up, Hiccup realised what this was all about. The dragons were made to fight each other, and the 'winner' of each fight was made to pull the ship. It was utterly barbaric, and it made his blood boil. Then he remembered there were eight dragons – three Spike-Tails, two Sail-Backs, a Chin-Spike, a Fire-Scale and….. a Swift-Wing. "You're making Toothless fight?!"

His outburst was met with disdain from Hauke, who calmly replied "What makes you think that?"

"Hey, sarcasm is my thing" Hiccup retorted. His 'escort' for the day raised a hand to strike him, but Hauke shook his head. Then _he_ struck Hiccup, sending the young man reeling. Then he grabbed Hiccup by the throat and squeezed.

"I wonder if you'd be so witty if I tie dragon root to you and throw you in the ring with the beasts" he threatened, glaring as Hiccup struggled in his grasp. "Apologise for your insolence, thrall" Hauke ordered, squeezing harder.

Hiccup gasped, clawing desperately at Hauke's thick wrist and fingers. He choked out "S-s-sorry!"

"Sorry, _what_?"

"S-s-sorry, muh-mah-aah…" Hiccup's eyes widened in terror – he couldn't breathe! Hauke released him at last and he stumbled back, clutching at his neck and wheezing. "S-sorry, m-master" he heard himself say. What was wrong with him? Hauke wasn't his master! _I'm not a thrall. I'm a Viking. I am a Viking!_

"Apology accepted. Now, was there something you'd like to ask me?" Hauke inquired, far too politely. Hiccup wanted to glare at him defiantly, but he was still trying to catch his breath. Besides…though he hated to admit it, Hauke frightened him. The man could cause him untold suffering at any moment and they both knew it. Hauke was not his master or his owner but he was in control.

"If…if you make Toothless fight… I want to watch" he insisted. He didn't want Toothless to face that alone; and if Toothless, if they, were going to be hurt he'd like to have some warning. He managed to force out a "Please, master." It galled him to be so submissive, but there was no other way to get what he wanted.

Hauke smiled cruelly. "I suppose, since you asked nicely. But in the meantime, follow me" he ordered. Hauke led Hiccup below deck to another unfamiliar part of the ship – an armoury. It was stiflingly hot, and worse still, there were four Gronckles – no, Rock-Tails – chained up in there, being forced to make Gronckle Iron. There was no end to the cruelty and inhumanity aboard the _Black Death._

"You've figured out, I assume, that the dragons fight in pairs, and the victor of each fight is rewarded by being allowed to fly for a while" Hauke commented. "Of course we can't have them flying _away,_ so in return for their reward they tow the ship when the winds die or blow against us. It's quite changeable."

Hiccup frowned. "What about them?" he questioned, gesturing to the dull-eyed Rock-Tails. Before he could stop himself, he flinched in anticipation of a blow and added, "Sir." It was easier to say the one-syllable word than the longer, more demeaning one, but he hated that he felt the need to say either.

"Oh, they get to fly too, sometimes. Usually if one of the other dragons is injured. But I didn't bring you down here to play nursemaid to the Gronckles. I have a more important job for you." They were standing on opposite sides of a table; Hauke lifted off the cloth covering it. Hiccup gasped. Underneath was Toothless' spare tail-fin, the one that had been in the saddlebag. He'd completely forgotten about it. Without thinking, he reached out to touch it.

"I have no doubt the Night Fury is a fierce fighter, and will probably win his battle" Hauke continued, "which means he'll have to fly. You need to modify this fin to allow the dragon to fly alone. And to dye it black…although, we'll imprint Bludvist's insignia in red."

In a rush of insight, Hiccup knew that this could be the chance he'd been waiting for. Taking care to keep his expression neutral, he murmured "I understand…master." _Tell him what he wants to hear. Make him think I'm complying. Don't let on._ It was easier to say that word, if he told himself it was part of the plan, part of getting the better of his captor.

"Good. Oh, and before you get any ideas; when the Night Fury isn't flying, I will be taking the tail-fin for safe-keeping. And I don't need to remind you what will happen if you try to use it to escape, do I?"

Ignoring Onarr's voice in his head ( _"Some punishments leave scars you can't see_ "), Hiccup replied, "Yes…master." It wasn't a lie; he remembered the threat clearly. That wasn't going to stop him from trying – how could he not?

Hauke left him to it. Fortunately, he remembered enough of the first auto-tail design to replicate it with what he had available. Hiccup tried to modify it so it would be comfortable for Toothless; they had talked about that first winter together, and the dragon admitted that the auto-tail had not been pleasant to wear for long periods. Though that wasn't the reason he disliked it so much.

As he worked, the nearest Rock-Tail sniffed curiously in his direction. *Strange. A human that smells of dragon?* she remarked. Her chains clanked as she shuffled closer to Hiccup. His escort…no, warden…kicked at her. "Get away, dumb beast!" he grunted; she snarled at him.

"Leave her alone!" Hiccup exclaimed, "She's not doing anything!"

"Exactly. It's not making metal. Get back to work!" another hunter yelled at the poor Rock-Tail, jabbing her with a spear. She rumbled sadly and trudged back to the piles of limestone, sandstone and iron ore that were four of the key ingredients of Gronckle Iron. It tore Hiccup up inside that he could no nothing to help them – at least for now. When he and Toothless escaped, they would bring their friends back here to blast open this accursed ship and free everyone.

Adjusting the tail-fin for solo flight didn't take long; then the hunters dyed the crimson canvas black, drying it quickly with the bellows. Finally, they printed a silhouette of Bludvist's insignia onto it – a stylised but disturbing image of a Fire-Scale with a sword through the skull.

It looked familiar, and Hiccup suddenly realised he'd seen it before; both on brands used by Viggo's hunters, and worn by Krogan. Were they all under the employ of Drago Bludvist? A chill ran down Hiccup's spine. Was _that_ why Hauke knew so much about him? Because he knew Krogan, and the riders nemesis had told him about Hiccup?

* * *

With the modified fin in his arms, Hiccup was led back to the deck. Emrel was harnessed to the port chain at the prow; Crusher and one of the Chin-Spikes were chained at the stern. The hunters forced the last two dragons under the nets; the juvenile Fire-Scale who's name was Blaze, and Toothless.

When he looked up and spotted Hiccup, Toothless bounded over and pressed his snout against the taut chains. Hiccup rushed forwards and knelt in front of the nets, poking his fingers through the gaps to stroke as much of the dragon as he could reach. "Hey, bud. I'm sorry about this" he murmured.

Toothless crooned reassuringly, only to snarl when a hunter dragged Hiccup backwards by his collar. "Is the tail-fin finished?" Hauke demanded.

Hiccup sighed. "Yes…master" he answered, reluctant though he was to say _that word._ He despised Hauke and the other monsters, but he hated himself too. For giving in so easily, when he'd sworn he would fight to the end.

"Very well. Command the Night Fury to fight" Hauke ordered, nodding to Hiccup's warden to release him. Hiccup took a few cautious steps towards the chain net, meeting Toothless' gaze and declaring, "I'm sorry, Toothless. They want you to fight B- the Nightmare, and if you win they're gonna make you tow the ship." The dragon's eyes widened as they landed on the tail-fin in his arms. "We're both gonna be in trouble if you don't, so just do your best, okay? And…and good luck" Hiccup finished, with an encouraging nod.

Blaze whimpered and cringed on the other side of the ring. *Fight? I don't want to fight!* he whined, flames rippling across his hide. The hunters muttered to each other. Hauke frowned deeply. "I told you to command the Night Fury to fight" he repeated, "now do as you're ordered, thrall – or _I_ will do it."

The sight of Hauke beating Toothless with that club flashed through Hiccup's mind. His ribs and welts twinged at the memory. Taking a deep breath, Hiccup turned back to the dragon and instructed, "Toothless, battle ready!"

Straightaway, Toothless rounded on Blaze and assumed his quintessential arched back, spread wings stance. Growling deep in his throat, he stalked towards the cowering Fire-Scale with pupils slit and fangs bared. In an attempt at intimidation, Blaze flamed up and spat a gout of liquid fire at the Swift-Wing, who blocked the scorching stream with a wing and bellowed.

*Stay away from me!* the poor young Fire-Scale shrieked, trying to flee from Toothless to no avail. As they circled each other, Toothless told him apologetically, *I don't want to hurt you…but I need to make this look good.* He suddenly lunged forwards, feinting around a second burst of fire, and leapt right at Blaze, snapping and snarling. Blaze thrashed and tried to buck him off.

The bloodthirsty hunters whooped and cheered; Hiccup watched the struggle with bated breath. He hated it when Toothless was forced to fight, and it was worse now that – Blaze's tail whipped through the air and struck Toothless, knocking him away. Hiccup felt a spike of pain through his left shoulder and had to bite back a wince. Toothless rolled to his feet and shook himself vigorously.

He gave Hiccup an apologetic look, and began to fight smarter. He baited Blaze, lithely dodging all of his fire blasts until the Fire-Scale had run out entirely. Then he used his weight to force Blaze's horns to the ground. The juvenile dragon went limp, and Toothless threw his head back to let out an ear-splitting roar. Hiccup couldn't help but feel relieved. "Good job, bud" he murmured quietly.

The hunters armed themselves with shields and moved in to separate the dragons. Toothless rounded on them and summoned fire into his jaws, sending a blast at the cluster of monsters. Most of it was deflected by their shields, but it still left them reeling. "Wait!" Hauke commanded, before rounding on Hiccup. "Make the Night Fury stop attacking my men, or he will be punished" he threatened, "and you wouldn't want him to suffer because of you, would you?"

Hiccup flinched. "No…master" he admitted reluctantly, before looking over at his dragon. "Sorry, bud. You heard him…cos, y'know, you can understand every word we're saying" he said pointedly. "You just need to let me put this tail-fin on you. So you can tow the ship." Was he being subtle?

Toothless blinked, and relaxed his aggressive stance. He took a few steps forward, only to recoil and snarl again when the hunters advanced with the muzzle and chains. "Wait!" Hiccup cried out. He turned to Hauke and insisted, "He doesn't trust any of you." _And I don't blame him._ "He only trusts me. Let me put the tail-fin on him…master. I can do it properly."

Hauke regarded him coldly for a long moment. "You may put the tail-fin on the dragon… _after_ he's been muzzled and harnessed" the hunter-chief decided. He motioned for his men to continue; Hiccup cried out in protest and rushed forwards, only to be held back by the warden. Despite Toothless' best efforts, they tripped him up with bolas' so he couldn't retreat, blocked his fire blasts and strapped a muzzle around his jaws.

Then they dragged him to the prow and harnessed him to the chain on the starboard side. Only when he was restrained did Hauke allow Hiccup to approach him, but the young man forwent putting on the tail-fin in favour of embracing Toothless first. *Sorry about your shoulder* the dragon whimpered apologetically. The pain had already faded, and he bore Toothless no ill will.

"It's okay. You did really well in there, bud; I'm so proud of you" Hiccup praised, with a warm smile. It didn't reach his eyes though. _We were so close…_ he'd thought, if he could just get the fin on Toothless, he could mount up and they'd be away quick as the wind…but now that the dragon was chained, they couldn't make a quick getaway. _Why does Loki hate me? I'm friends with the twins!_

With no other choice, he fastened on the tail-fin. "Right, see if that works" he murmured as he stepped back. Toothless flexed his living fin. The prosthetic one moved with it in tandem. "Is it okay? Not too uncomfortable?" Hiccup fretted.

"It doesn't need to be _comfortable_ " Hauke said dismissively, "It just needs to keep the dragon in the air. Make him fly."

"But the wind is still blowing north!" Hiccup protested. Of course, that just _had_ to be the moment that the wind changed direction. The sail snapped and fluttered as it went from being pushed forwards to being pushed back. "Oh, great. Now even Njord hates me" he groaned. The hunters set about rolling up the sail and the chain nets; one of them blew a horn, and the other three dragons took to the air. Hiccup reluctantly gave Toothless the 'fly' signal; his other half moaned regretfully at their lost chance and took off from the deck.

* * *

He had to go back to all the other stupid chores after that. Hiccup expected Onarr to grouse about having to do more work whilst he was "off playing with the dragons" or something, but to his surprise it appeared that someone else had been doing his share. Onarr didn't say who, but Hiccup had his suspicions. He was also being much less hostile, but in a stiff, awkward sort of way. As if someone had threatened him into being nicer to Hiccup…

In the end, it was only about an hour before he had to abandon the chores. Hiccup doubled over with a cry, clutching at his ribs, as a bolt of pain jolted through him. It was familiar, and he just knew – they were striking the chain that Toothless was chained to, they were hurting him! His warden grabbed him by the elbow to haul him up; Hiccup drove his elbow back into the man's gut and tore himself away, running as fast as he could to the nearest pulley-cage.

Incredibly, he managed to get into the pulley-cage and flip the latch from outside. He hauled on the rope as fast as he could, and emerged onto the deck at – well, it _would_ have to be the stern side. Fortunately there weren't too many hunters on deck, and none of them appeared to have noticed him yet. Hiccup began to edge his way along the deck, crouching behind crates, gritting his teeth against the jabs of pain that came every so often.

His heart thudded. Any moment now, someone was going to shout – "Oi, thrall!" – that. Cover blown, Hiccup made a desperate rush for the starboard side of the prow. The hunter – oh look, it was Beater, what a surprise – turned away from the chain and swung the club at Hiccup instead. Dodging it, he yelled out "Stop hurting him!"

The hunters were surrounding him; Beater reached out to grab him, only to groan as he was flattened to the deck by… "Toothless!"

Hiccup's delight quickly gave way to alarm; his dragon had landed, but the other dragons hadn't, and the ship swerved. He lost his balance and staggered into the side of the ship, but everyone else was falling over as well. Seizing his chance, Hiccup scrambled onto Toothless' back, and his friend took to the air once more. Of course they didn't get very far, what with the chain and all, but when Beater struck the chain, the metal rod jerked and hit – Hiccup's peg. "Ha!"

The chain split in two, and each end was attached to hooks on the harness over the shoulders. The whole harness was locked in place with a padlock on the back of the neck; Hiccup tugged at it with all his strength, wishing he had the key to unlock it. Abruptly, Toothless jerked beneath him. "Whoa! Careful!"

*It's not me!* Toothless protested, *They're trying to pull me back. Take the muzzle off!*

"Good idea!" Hiccup reached over to unbuckle the leather muzzle and pull it off. He flung it into the sea and Toothless ducked his head beneath him to fire a blast at the hunters trying to drag him down. They scattered, and he quickly charged another blast. "Try and break the chain!" Hiccup prompted, still struggling with the padlock. Toothless aimed his next shot at the metal chain, but it was dragon proof, of course, and it failed to break.

A sharp whistle of air cut through the sound of Toothless' frantically beating wings; before Hiccup could react, he felt thinner chains wrap around him, pinning his arms. He struggled, only to be yanked backwards off of Toothless and fall for a few seconds before the chain snapped taut. Hiccup smacked against the side of the ship, getting a load of fresh bruises, and groaned in pain.

Toothless roared and tried to catch him, but no sooner had Hiccup been wrenched from his back than the hunters catapulted bolas' at him, just like before, that tangled and snagged on his wings. Unable to stay in the air, Toothless dropped like a stone, plunging right into the freezing ocean. The chain he was still harnessed to dragged him along in the ship's wake, floundering.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried out, struggling as he was hauled back up onto the deck. He fought the hunters grasp and leaned over the side, looking down in horror at Toothless fought to stay above water. "Pull him up!" he yelled at them, "He's gonna freeze! He'll die!"

To his utter disgust, the monsters just laughed. "Are you kidding?" one of them asked, "This is hilarious! Paddle, dragon, paddle!"

Hiccup grabbed the chain with both hands and heaved with all his might, but just as with the harness padlock, he might as well have been trying to shift a whole tree, or a boulder. Hands fell on him and he held on tighter, digging his foot into the side of the ship and resisting with all his might. " _Let go of me!_ "

"That's enough!" Hauke's voice rang out sharply. "Get the Night Fury out of the water. We still need him" he ordered. Hiccup was shoved aside, and scrambled out of the way as the hunters set to work heaving Toothless back up onto the deck. He leaned over the edge to watch, heart in his mouth. Then a movement further out alarmed him even more. There was something in the water, and it was heading right for Toothless. He was about to yell a warning, but then -

"Chief! There's a Scauldron there!"

"The dragons' thrashing must have lured it in. We have no time for it, though; keep pulling in the Night Fury. We'll have to let this one go" Hauke decided. The hunters continued heaving on the chain to drag Toothless out of the ocean, but it was slow going. The Scauldron was advancing quickly, and with his mouth wet, Toothless wouldn't be able to fire a blast to defend himself.

Just before it reached Toothless, when he was halfway out of the water, the rippling silhouette of the Scauldron sank deeper beneath the waves and disappeared. A tense few moments followed…and then Hiccup doubled over with a pained scream, feeling as if he'd just been stabbed in the gut with a million searing hot skewers.

His scream was drowned out by Toothless' shriek, as a blast of scalding water launched him out of the ocean and he fell, thrashing, with a great thud onto the deck. " _Toothless!"_ Still clutching his stomach, Hiccup staggered over and collapsed next to the dragon, who was sprawled on his back and trembling. Fishleg's voice echoed in Hiccup's mind. _"A Scauldron's hot water blast can rip the scales right off a Screaming Death_."

Whispering and Screaming Deaths had the toughest scales of any dragon; if they could be injured by a Scauldron's blast, other dragons wouldn't stand a chance. On Toothless' belly was a perfectly round patch of skin, weeping blood and covered with bits of scales that had literally been blasted to pieces, raw and abraded. It looked as painful as it felt. "Oh, gods, Toothless, no…"

The monsters were surrounding them. Hiccup spread his arms as if he could protect Toothless with his smaller body and gave a snarl worthy of any dragon. "Stay away from him!" he yelled. He couldn't let the monsters near, they'd just hurt him and Toothless even more, it was all their fault, them and that wretched Scauldron, how dare it attack Toothless, he hadn't done anything wrong!

"Chief, what're we gonna do with 'em?" one of the hunters inquired.

The one who had laughed at Toothless replied, "They were tryin' to escape, weren't they? You know what that means – the whelp gets to spend the night with us. You like riding dragons, yeah?" he leered at Hiccup, "I got summat else right here you can ride" he said with a lecherous grin. Hiccup cringed. He'd already suspected what Onarr had been so frightened of, and now he'd failed to get away, and they…they were going to…

Toothless rolled and heaved himself to his feet, hacking up seawater. He coiled himself around Hiccup and snarled at the monsters threatening his other half. Especially the one who had made that last comment; he didn't know exactly what it meant, but he could tell it was nothing good. Toothless tried to summon his fires, but they just wouldn't light properly, and the monsters could tell.

"Keep your depravity to yourself" Hauke snapped, before instructing "Get the Night Fury back in its cage and replace it with one of the Gronckles from the armoury. You, fetch the surgeon and have him tend to the dragon's wound. And _you,_ do your bloody job and make sure the thrall actually finishes his chores."

Hiccup pressed himself closer to Toothless and protested, "I'm not leaving him!"

Cold-hearted, Hauke glared down at him and declared, "Then you won't be seeing him tonight."

"But Chief, you said that" –

"I said you could use him for your sick and twisted fantasies the _second_ time he tries to escape! I know he's going to make another attempt; although now that he knows what's at stake, perhaps he'll have the sense not to try" Hauke mused. He glared at the hunter – or as Hiccup was starting to think of him, Creep – and insisted "Keep your hands and everything else to yourself for now. He's _my_ thrall, not _your_ toy. Do you understand?"

"…Yes, Chief."

Toothless' mouth dried at last, and he charged a plasma blast, aiming it at the _scum_ who wanted to hurt his other half. The rest of them aimed arrows at him. "No!" Hiccup cried out, struggling to his feet. "Toothless, hold!" Caught off guard, the dragon stopped gathering his flame and stared at his other half in disbelief. Hiccup looked at Hauke. "He doesn't trust any of you. He only trusts me. Let me help him. Then I'll finish the chores, I'll do whatever you want. Just please, let me help him!"

Hauke's eyes narrowed. "So be it; but the next time the Night Fury is made to tow us, we're putting the metal muzzle on. You have your precious rider to thank for that, dragon" he told Toothless, who snarled at him. "And I warn you, Haddock; you won't get a third chance. The next time you try to escape, you _will_ fail, and I will let them do with you as they please" he threatened.

Hiccup gulped, terrified. Onarr hadn't been kidding – they really did – they really were going to…to…he couldn't bring himself to even think it. He banished the thought from his mind and turned his attention to mending Toothless' injury, desperate to ease the pain. After that…he didn't know. For how could he risk trying to escape, when failure meant a fate worse than death?

* * *

A/N: Well, that got dark _er_. Now seems like a great time to mention that I took the lullaby Toothless 'sings' to Hiccup at the end of chapter five, reworked the lyrics and posted it on YouTube. Yeah. So if you want to hear my interpretation of what the song would sound like, just search 'lilac lyrics lullaby' on YouTube and it should be the first result ;)


	8. Chapter 8 - Resolve

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Eight – Resolve

The dragon riders were clearing up the arena after Astrid and Stoick's late night mauling of the training dummies. "Did you have to wreck _all_ of them?" Ruffnut complained as she swept up bits of straw. "It's gonna take forever to sew all this back together and put the stuffing back in."

"We can't _repair_ these" Fishlegs protested in exasperation, "We're just gonna have to burn them and start over…err, Tuffnut? What's the matter with you?" he asked, when said twin suddenly began to bawl. Emotional outbursts from him weren't anything new, but it wasn't clear this time what had set him off.

Tuffnut shook his head, still blubbering. "N-nothing. It's just…y-you said b-burn…like we did to…" He wailed and blew his nose on Ruffnut's braid. Disgusted, she yanked it out of his grasp and snapped, "Hey, get your snot all over your own hair, bro!"

Astrid glared at her, but gave Tuffnut a more sympathetic glance. "Leave him alone, Ruffnut. We're all feeling terrible…we all miss Hiccup" she said sadly, looking around at them all. Everyone sighed at the thought of their lost friend, and the dragons whined or whimpered. Fishlegs began to tear up himself, and hurried over to Meatlug on the pretence of comforting her.

Snotlout scowled as he picked up the broken bits of wood that had once been part of the training dummies and targets. As he tossed them to Hookfang to be burned, he coldly remarked, "Not all of us." Unfortunately for him, he didn't put any distance between himself and his dragon before saying something that callous. Hookfang flamed him. "Argh! Hookfang!"

"You deserved that" Fishlegs retorted. "How could you possibly say something like that, Snotlout? After everything Hiccup has done for you?"

 _Supported him. Encouraged him. Been his leader. Been his friend._ "That's not what I meant, Fishface!" he snapped, angry because his chest felt tight and twisting, and his eyes were stinging. All this sweeping was throwing up an awful lot of stupid dust. "There's no point in missing him; it's not gonna bring him and Toothless back. They're gone, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"We still need to grieve, Snotlout" Astrid insisted, her hands tightening around the broom she was holding. As the de facto leader of the dragon riders now that Hiccup had passed, she was struggling to hold herself together and be strong for them. She couldn't believe Snotlout would be so callous – this was a new low, even for him. _How dare he act like Hiccup's death doesn't matter to him?!_

Snotlout puffed his chest out and sneered, but it was more like a grimace. "We Jorgensons don't grieve, Astrid. We stay strong. But if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you" he declared, holding his arms out to her. Astrid's eyes narrowed. She marched up to him, grabbed his arm and threw him across the ring, where he landed in the pile of straw Ruffnut was amassing, sending it scattering, much to her annoyance.

"I do feel a bit better now; thanks, Snotlout" Astrid said airily, going back to sweeping. Groaning, he struggled to his feet and dusted himself off. "No problem" he winced, rolling his shoulder. "I'm just saying we have to face the facts. Hiccup's not coming back, and if he hadn't gone to Myrkr, this wouldn't have happened. It's his own fault he"-

The next thing Snotlout knew, he was being tackled to the ground by a furious flaxen-haired blur. "How dare you?!" Astrid screamed in his face, grasping the front of his tunic and shaking him violently. "You wretched boar-headed son of a half-troll - ! Don't you _dare_ suggest that Hiccup! Deserved! To! Die!" She slammed him against the ground with each of the last four words.

The others snapped out of their shock and rushed over to drag Astrid off of Snotlout, who crawled backwards, terrified eyes locked on her face. Then a shadow fell over him, and he looked upside down at… _oh no._ Stoick was standing over him; the chief reached down and with one hand, lifted Snotlout clean off the ground. Once he was set back down, Stoick ground out, "What is going on?"

Nobody dared speak…except for Tuffnut, of course. "Well actually, Chief, Astrid tried to kill Snotlout cos he said it was Hiccup's fault he died" the male twin declared, pointing less than helpfully at Snotlout himself.

At that, Stoick's expression turned nothing short of thunderous. "I didn't!" Snotlout denied it at once, "okay, m-maybe I did, b-but I didn't mean it! It's just that my dad said" – His eyes widened and he clapped a hand over his mouth, but it was too late. _Me and my stupid big mouth!_ he chastised himself. If – no, when – his dad found out that he'd told the chief what Spitelout had said about Hiccup, he was gonna get a lashing for sure – and not just one from a tongue.

Stoick frowned deeply, and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Fishlegs and Ruffnut let go of Astrid, who gaped at Snotlout in disbelief. "Are you telling us you said those horrible things because your dad told you they were true?" she demanded, indignant.

Snotlout cringed even more, looking as if he wished the ground would swallow him up. "…Maybe?" he squeaked.

Everyone groaned. "Why are you still listening to that guy?" Fishlegs asked.

"He's my dad, Fishface! It's not like I have a choice!"

Stoick spoke up again. "No, Snotlout" he insisted, stopping himself at the last moment from calling the young man 'son'. "You do have a choice. You need to be your own person, not…not living in your father's shadow. He shouldn't expect you to…to be just like him…" To the riders distress, their great chieftain began to tear up. Stoick being angry they were used to; but they had never seen him like this. It was unsettling.

"Chief?" Astrid asked tentatively.

"It's my fault" he whispered, but they still heard him. "It's my fault he's gone. I put too much pressure on him; I drove him away. Hiccup, my boy…" Stoick's eyes stared at nothing. Or more likely, he was staring at Hiccup's ghost in his own mind. The riders glanced at one another uneasily. None of them knew what to say, and none of them dared speak, not even the twins.

At last, Astrid worked up the courage. "It's not your fault, Chief" she insisted. "You and Hiccup…you made mistakes, we all did, but the only people to blame here are those hunters. They took someone we love from us, and they have to pay" she declared, eyes darkening. So did Stoick's eyes. Whilst his despair was unnerving, his anger was a fierce and terrible storm.

"Aye, that they do" he agreed with her, "and I have a way to make that happen. Have your dragons burn whatever's left here and come to the Great Hall as soon as you can" he ordered. With that Stoick walked away, out of the arena. When he was gone, Snotlout gulped and turned to face the others. They all looked very unimpressed, but he supposed he deserved that.

"I know what you're gonna say" he told them, "I'm a muttonhead."

Astrid nodded. "True."

"And a huge jerk."

"Also true" Tuffnut concurred.

"I didn't mean it" he insisted, but he wasn't sure they believed him. Why should they? He lied all the time. "I don't even know why I said it. I _do_ miss Hiccup. So much. Especially now." Snotlout missed the way Hiccup would tell him it was okay, put his skinny but warm arm around Snotlout's shoulders and reassure him that he hadn't messed up, that he'd done well. "I'm sorry, Astrid."

She approached him slowly, but he still cowered, as if afraid she would start laying in to him again. When she held out a hand to him, he flinched. After a few seconds of staring at her fingers as if they might sprout deadly claws, he realised that she was offering him a handshake. Nervously, he obliged. "Apology accepted. And I'm sorry for attacking you. But your father is an asshole."

He gulped, not wanting her to speak ill of his dad but not wanting to incur her wrath either. "He shouldn't have said that stuff about Hiccup" Snotlout agreed. It had been disrespectful, some might even say treasonous, to suggest that the heir of Berk had deserved his gruesome fate. That much he was sure about.

"Really just in general, but especially because of this. I mean this is a new low, even for Spitelout."

"Yeah! It's really… _spiteful_ " Ruffnut commented. Her eyes widened in realisation. "Oh…wow, your dad is really well named."

Fishlegs twisted his hands together and anxiously prompted, "Um, guys? I don't think we should leave the Chief waiting." The others agreed; they swept up the last of the debris and motioned for their dragons to set the pile alight. As the small bonfire burned to ash, the five of them mounted up and took off for the Great Hall. Leaving their dragons to wait outside, the riders walked in.

* * *

Everybody was inside the Hall; Stoick and the Council were standing before the high table. The riders slipped around the edges to the front of the crowd. Astrid shot a poisonous glare at Spitelout. He noticed – she could see his lip curl – but he ignored her. The villagers muttered to each other, pushing and shoving for the best place to see and listen to the chief.

Finally, Stoick held up both hands and called for silence. The Hall fell deathly quiet at once. "I've summoned you all here because I have terrible news. I know you've all been wondering what became of Hiccup and Toothless. It is my great regret to inform you that my son was murdered, _decapitated,_ by hunters from Myrkr, and I do not know of Toothless' whereabouts" Stoick announced.

Where before the Hall had been silent, now it was thunderous. Everyone shouted out at once, cries of outrage, cries for blood. "SILENCE!" Stoick bellowed. The quiet returned immediately. "Believe me; I'm just as enraged as you are, and even more devastated. But I have this", here he held up a piece of parchment, "a map, to the hunter's village or trading port. Whatever it is, I think we ought to pay them a visit. These dragon hunters assassinated the heir of Berk, and thus, as Chief, I hereby declare war on their tribe. We will travel to this Raudabein, rescue my son's dragon if they have him captive, and avenge Hiccup once and for all!" Stoick's declaration was met with a hearty, if bloodthirsty cheer from the Vikings of Berk.

"Thank you for standing with me" he told his people, grateful that they were willing to fight by him for this cause. _Oh Hiccup. If only you knew how much you're loved._ "The council has already agreed that the A-Team will be accompanying this mission." Privately, Stoick was frustrated by that; knowing what he knew now, he didn't want Spitelout coming on a mission of vengeance for his son. Speaking of which…

"There is one other thing. If anyone thinks that my son deserved to meet such an untimely fate, for any reason at all, and they are not a coward, let them say it right now, right to my face" Stoick challenged. He swept his piercing gaze across the assembled crowd, who all stared at him disbelievingly. His glare lingered ever so slightly on Spitelout, until the man looked away. Satisfied, Stoick went on, "That's settled then. My son is not to blame for this, and if anyone thinks otherwise, they'd be wise to stop, or I'll throw them in the well – with the _twins_ " he threatened. There was a shout of dismay…from the twins themselves.

The plan was laid out, and argued over thoroughly until everyone came back around to the original idea. Stoick and the dragon riders would take out the defences, round up the hunters and take over the town, then burn their ships so they couldn't immediately follow and deal a counter-attack. When they found whoever was responsible for his son's death, Stoick would mete out justice himself, with the blade of his own axe.

After the tribal Thing was over, everyone set about preparing for the battle to come. Some went to make sure their ships were seaworthy and stocked with provisions, enough for a six day round trip. That was roughly how long Stoick predicted the journey to Raudabein would take; three days there, and three days back. Gobber went right to work sharpening weapons for every warrior.

The riders, corralled by Astrid, went to do practice runs on dealing with anti-dragon artillery. "We'll start with catapults" Astrid announced, "Dive at the target, and do a" –

"Do a barrel roll to avoid enemy fire" Snotlout finished in a high pitched voice. Astrid glared at him. "For Thor's sake, Astrid, _we know._ You tell us the same thing every single time!"

"It never hurts to be reminded" she retorted tersely, "especially when there's so much at stake, and some of us could use the practice…"

"What are you saying? That you think we're not good enough?"

"What? No! That's not what I meant" she protested. Still, she looked uneasy.

The twins began to jump onto Snotlout's wagon. "You do think we're not good enough, don't you?" Ruffnut asked accusingly. "Don't even try to deny it, sister!" she exclaimed when Astrid made to insist otherwise. "You really think we can't hear what you say about me and Tuffnut, or Snotlout here, behind our backs? You think we're just gonna mess this up, don't you?"

Astrid's patience, which was never particularly her strong suit, wore thin and snapped. "Maybe that's because you do! It's what you two are known for!"

" _Us two_?" Tuffnut cried indignantly. "I hope, madam, you're talking about Ruffnut and Snotlout" –

" _Hey!_ "

"Cos in case you've forgotten, there was that time _my_ ideas helped us defend the Edge from dragon hunters, when all _your_ ideas failed."

"Uh, guys…?"

"They didn't fail, they just…okay, well what about all the times you have messed up? Or asked a stupid question, or done something so _muttonheaded_ …"

"Not cool, Astrid! Not cool! You are an awful leader, missy. It's not like you're little miss perfect! Oh, but you _are_ little miss I-mistimed-my-somersault-roll" –

"Guys, I think" –

"Why you-?! I'll show you a somersault roll!" Astrid yelled, lunging at Ruffnut.

"DAGUR'S HERE!" Fishlegs shouted at the top of his lungs. Everybody, including the fighting Ruff and Astrid, stared at him. He pointed up at where the familiar silhouettes of a Razorwhip and a Triple Stryke were approaching Berk, heading right for the training ring. Swiftly, Astrid got off of Ruffnut and moved away, both of them awkwardly avoiding each other's gazes. The riders and dragons stood back as their friends landed in the arena.

"Hello, dragon riders!" Dagur crowed, vaulting off of Sleuther's back. He grinned manically and announced, "Sorry to drop in unannounced, but things have been pretty quiet on a Berserker Island lately, and by quiet I mean _boring._ So I thought, where do we know that's always interesting? Berk! Heather and I thought we'd come for a visit, didn't we, sis?"

Heather dismounted from Windshear and walked over to join them. "We would've waited until it was time for the treaty signing, but I admit it's nice to see you guys more than once a year. Is…everything alright?" she asked in concern, noticing how quiet everyone was. Snotlout hadn't tried to hit on her, and Fishlegs didn't look happy to see her (well, he did, but he looked worried as well). Even Astrid hadn't come to give her a hug like they usually did.

Oblivious, Dagur looked around the ring and noticed there was one rider missing. "Hey, where's Hiccup? I wanted to show him this new trick Sleuther and I came up with. I call it the Dagapult. If you know where he is, we can go find him and show him" the Berserker chief suggested brightly. His smile faded as he looked at the riders and saw how none of them would meet his gaze, how Astrid had gone pale and thin-lipped. Dagur frowned. "What's going on?"

"Guys?" Heather asked, more worried by the moment. "Is something wrong?"

They all glanced at each other…then Astrid took a deep, if shaking breath and squared her shoulders. This was her burden to bear. "Heather…Dagur. I am _so_ sorry. I don't know how to tell you this, but Hiccup…Hiccup is…"

* * *

"DEAD?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY BROTHER IS _DEAD_?!"

When Astrid divulged the terrible news, needless to say Dagur did not take it well. "Who was it?" he demanded in a low, dangerous growl. "Who killed him?"

Astrid replied, "Dragon hunters. From Myrkr. They…they b-beheaded him" she made herself say, feeling sick at the mere thought. Heather's eyes went wide in horror; Dagur's eye started twitching.

"They…they…oh, really? When I get my hands on those _bastards_ , I'm gonna chop _their_ heads off and see how they like it! No, first I'm gonna chop off their arms, and then their legs, and then I'm gonna roast their limbs on a spit, and then I'm gonna…" On he went, pacing back and forth wringing the air between his hands in an invisible chokehold.

Heather turned back to Astrid and inquired, "I don't understand; how did they even get to him? Were you guys attacked?" Then a thought occurred to her. "What happened to Toothless?" Surely, his dragon would never let Hiccup be killed – unless the Night Fury had perished too?

Astrid opened her mouth to speak, closed it again, and shook her head. She looked as if she was on the verge of tears. Heather put an arm around her shoulders, and she sniffled. "No, it…he…Johann was here the day before yesterday. He told us about this ship he'd heard about, that was attacked off the coast of Myrkr. The one survivor described the dragons who attacked them…as if they were Night Furies.

"You know how much Hiccup wanted to find more of Toothless' own kind. Stoick forbade us from going, but he…he left that night. They flew to Myrkr, and by the time we realised where he'd gone, they were too far ahead. We…we didn't get there in time…" Astrid broke down and let out a sob. Heather pulled her into a tight hug, feeling tears prick at her own eyes.

Snotlout took over the explanation without being asked. "When we got there….we found his body, and the hunters were nowhere to be seen. Neither was Toothless. They must have taken him, but we have no idea if he's alive or dead. Odds are…it's probably the latter" he said regretfully.

"Does Johann know?" Heather couldn't help but ask. "About what happened, I mean?" She could only imagine how horrified the man would have been, or would be, when he found out.

Astrid nodded sadly. "He stayed an extra day to resupply and make some repairs to his ship…and talk. When he heard that Hiccup had left he waited for us to come back with him" she explained.

When they had returned without Hiccup and Toothless, Johann had been devastated. He blamed himself; after all, it was his story that gave Hiccup the idea to go to Myrkr. Timidly, Johann asked Gobber to pass on to Stoick his deepest condolences…and a request for continued safe passage through Berk's waters. Gobber assured him there wouldn't be any trouble, but suggested that perhaps it was best if he departed. Nobody had seen the trader since.

"Gods" Heather breathed out, "I'm so sorry, Astrid. I can't imagine how hard this is for you" she murmured sympathetically, keeping an arm around her friends' shoulder. Heather could hardly believe it; the thought of Hiccup and Toothless not being here was just…inconceivable. She was putting a brave face for Astrid's sake, but she too wanted to scream and rage at the gods and the cruel hunters who had taken Hiccup's life, just as Dagur was doing.

Brushing away her tears, Astrid shakily replied "Y-yeah, it's…I don't know what to do" she confessed, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. She had never cried this much, not even when her favourite uncle had died. It was as if the empty space Hiccup had left in her heart was filled with her weeping. _Ruffnut's right. I'm a horrible leader._ At least, she was compared to Hiccup. He wouldn't have criticised the team…his friends…and insulted them the way she had.

"Ruffnut? Look, I'm…I'm sorry, okay? You guys aren't screw-ups" she admitted, hoping to ease the ache of guilt in her chest. Ruffnut magnanimously accepted her apology, and even agreed that she might have gone a bit too far herself.

Dagur ran out of steam at last and came back from his circling to join them. "Isn't there any way to find these wretches?" he demanded.

"As a matter of fact, there is" Snotlout replied, "The chief found a map to the hunter's village. He's just declared war on them. We're going to head there tomorrow and make them pay for what they've done" he declared, punching one fist into the palm of his other hand.

Fishlegs interjected, "We're also going to try and rescue Toothless, if he's still alive, and they have him held captive. It's a long shot…but it's what Hiccup would have wanted." He didn't even really care about getting revenge; if there was a chance they could honour Hiccup's memory by rescuing his dragon, or any other dragons these horrible people had imprisoned, then they had to take it.

"You're waging war? The Berserkers will wage war on the hunters with you!"

"Uh, Dagur, I'm not sure that's a good" –

"Where is Stoick? Never mind, I'll find him" Dagur announced, rushing back to Sleuther and taking off. Heather stared after him, and then rolled her eyes in exasperation. _This is so typical of him_ she thought resignedly.

The first place that Dagur looked for the chief of Berk was his own house. This proved to be more fruitful than he expected, because when he knocked on the door (and Heather thought he couldn't be polite!), he was met with an impatient shout of "Go away!" from the man himself. Taking the shout as an invitation, Dagur opened the door and strode right in.

Stoick looked up from where he was polishing his axe, glaring fiercely. "Are you deaf? I just said…" He trailed off when he saw who it was. "Dagur? What in Thor's name are you doing here? On Berk? In my house?"

Dagur got right to business. "Chief Stoick, the Berserker tribe stands with yours in this most difficult time, and when you attack the _murderers_ village you will have my entire armada backing you up" he declared. "Vengeance will be ours!"

Stoick sighed, and set his weapon aside. "You've heard, then."

"Heather and I came for a visit. We didn't expect this." Dagur hesitated. "Listen, Chief; I know we don't have the best, uh, _history_ …but you have to believe me when I say that I am so very sorry for your loss. Hiccup and I…we might have been enemies for a time, but he really did become like a little brother to me. I just…I can't believe he's _gone_ " he lamented.

Thus was Stoick treated to the awkward sight of the Berserker chieftain on the verge of breaking down in tears. _Now I know how everyone else feels_. "None of us can" he admitted solemnly. Unsure how to offer comfort, or even if he should, Stoick instead settled a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Thank you, Dagur. For offering your support."

Dagur took a deep breath and replied, "Don't forget about the armada."

"Ah…it's not that I don't appreciate the offer, but I don't think the armada will be necessary" said Stoick, as tactfully as he could manage.

"But it _is_. If you're declaring war on these _nithingrs_ , you need to attack from a position of strength. Show that you are no tribe to be messed with. That's why I always sailed with the armada whenever I attacked Berk…" Dagur trailed off when he saw the expression on Stoick's face. "Right. Bad time. The point is, you don't just wanna declare war, you want to _win_ it. And the only way to do that is to make them more afraid to attack you back" he argued.

Stoick nodded slowly. "Alright. Let's say I agree…I still think your whole armada would be a bit, well, overkill." They both winced a bit at that last word.

"Can I at least bring along half?" Dagur pouted.

"There's no time" Stoick insisted. He relented a little though, and declared "But if you and Heather agree to it, you can come with us to deliver this first strike."

Dagur nodded vigorously. "Oh, we're coming. Wild dragons couldn't keep us away! Besides, I never told anyone how long we'd be gone for…how long is that, exactly?" he inquired tentatively.

"Six days."

"Oh, that's alright" Dagur shrugged dismissively, "I've been away much longer than that before. So, what's our battle strategy? I think we should attack at night to have the element of surprise…"

"I'll let Astrid explain all that to you" Stoick announced, all but pushing Dagur out of the door. "And remember, Dagur; _I_ am commanding this battle, and _I_ will be the one to take vengeance for my son's death. You and the other riders, your task is to rescue the dragons, including Toothless if it's possible. That must be your priority" the chief insisted.

"Yes – okay, got it. You're the boss. Chief. Whatever. Are you sure you don't want my" – Stoick slammed the door in his face. "…help?"

* * *

Four days later, the dragon riders were approaching the southern shores of Myrkr. It appeared the tales that no-one could go to the Land of Darkness and come back alive were somewhat exaggerated. Further south, below the forests and the mountains that dominated this strange land, there were a few scattered farming and fishing villages. Not too different from Berk, really.

As they flew towards the village of Raudabein, it occurred to Astrid that if she could have seen Berk from the air, during the war, it would look like this. Bristling with anti-dragon defences, catapults, flaming torches (unlit in the daylight) and mounted crossbows. Then she remembered that she _had_ seen Berk from the air during the war; only that had been in the middle of the night.

A cold pang hit her chest at the memory. Every memory of Hiccup hurt; especially the moments they had shared. She didn't think she'd ever meet anyone as perfect as him; certainly not on Berk, probably not in the whole archipelago. He was…incomparable. Astrid couldn't help but pray that they would find Toothless; even though the dragon would surely be heartbroken, they could grieve together, and she'd keep a little more of Hiccup with her.

They were getting closer. Astrid couldn't hear much over the rush of wind around Stormfly's wings, but she could see tiny figures hurrying to load catapults and aim crossbows. They were attacking in broad daylight; they'd lost the element of surprise, but for all his grief-fuelled anger, Stoick was still honorable. He wouldn't just set upon the village and burn it to the ground (even if it was what they deserved) without giving them a chance to fight back.

"Okay, guys, this is it! You know what to do. Remember, stay in formation!"

The gap was closing quickly. The dragons began to descend; the fleet was swiftly approaching the fjord that formed a natural harbour. The seconds ticked down. Stoick raised his war-hammer high above his head, and yelled out, "CHARGE!"

Stormfly, Hookfang, Kingstail and Fanghook dived to meet the first wave of arrows loosed in their direction. Swathes of fire erupted from their jaws, scorching the shafts to ash and leaving the poisoned tips to tumble harmlessly back to the ground or into the sea. The Monstrous Nightmares peeled off and flamed up; the Nadders shot precisely aimed quills through their flames that sped, now alight, towards the hunters, who yelled and scattered.

Boulders were launched; the Zipplebacks released clouds of gas that engulfed the rocks and sparked it up. The explosion turned rocks into rubble, and the Gronckles made short work of any left over. That only left the nets to deal with; but Windshear's white-hot fire and slicing tail made short work of those, whilst Sleuther took out the launchers with streams of flame.

Skull Crusher made a rush for a gap in their defences. Two nets spun towards him, one from each side. "Skull Crusher, drop!" Stoick yelled, just as the nets were about to ensnare them. The Rumblehorn snapped his wings to his sides and plummeted a few metres, just enough for the nets to clash and tangle above their heads. Stoick swatted them aside with his hammer as the dragon regained control and blasted the trebuchet in front of him to ashes.

That was it; they were past the defences. Skull Crusher landed on the remains of the trebuchet; Stoick leapt down from the saddle and charged, bellowing, at the nearest hunter. One swing of his hammer sent the man's sword flying out of his hands, and Stoick grabbed him by the neck. "Where is your Chief?!"

"He's not here!" the hunter protested, scrabbling at Stoick's fingers wrapped around his throat. "I swear, he's not here, please don't hurt me!"

Skull Crusher was keeping the other hunters nearby at bay, growling at them and pawing the ground. They kept their distance, eyes fixed on him and Stoick. "I didn't ask where he's not!" the Berkian Chief glared at the man struggling and cowering in his grasp. "I asked where he is! Tell him to come out and face me!"

This he shouted at the watching hunters…although, now that he thought about it, they were dressed oddly. All wearing the same plain brown long sleeved tunic and trousers, barely any armour, and they were hardly fighting back. One of them fell to his knees before Stoick and pleaded, "Please, sir, we can't. The chief isn't here; he left with his hunters more than a week ago, none of us know where they went. Please, I beg you, have mercy. We only followed orders!"

Now thoroughly disturbed, Stoick released his grip on the man, who scrambled away. "What do you mean, 'left with his hunters'?" he demanded, scowling. "You are dragon hunters!"

There was a silence that lasted seconds but seemed to stretch for hours. Then the man he had threatened shook his head and replied, "No, not us." He reached up, and pulled down the collar of his tunic to reveal, branded on his left shoulder…a slavemark. He wasn't the only one; all over, the dragon riders were cornering hunters, only to discover they weren't hunters at all, but thralls.

Stoick was taken aback, but only for a moment. "Dragon hunters killed my son" he growled, "and I know they come from this village. If you don't know where they are, then who does? Answer me!"

The man flinched. "His wife" he answered at once, "she might know. I'll take you to her." He got to his feet and beckoned for Stoick to follow him, nervously watching Skull Crusher as he did so.

"Thank you" Stoick nodded to him. The man blinked as if surprised, and then replied, "…You're welcome, sir."

A shadow fell over them; Astrid and Stormfly hovered overhead. The thralls cringed; a few raised weapons, but didn't use them. "Chief! We've taken out all the defences, but these people, they're not"-

"I know, Astrid. Find out if they have any dragons held captive and free them. I'm going to find out where the chief of this _charming village_ has gone."

"You mean they're not here?!"

"Go, Astrid!"

"…Aye, Chief. Good luck!"

"You too, lass."

* * *

The thralls led Stoick to an underground cavern, in which the rest of the tribe – the women, children, elderly and infirm – were hiding. They huddled together as the bear of a Chief strode in, armed and furious, Skull Crusher close on his heels. Then one of them, a lovely if beleaguered looking woman with dark hair, stepped forwards as if she alone could shield her people from Stoick the Vast.

"Who are you?" she demanded, and then to the thrall who had led him there, "How dare you lead the enemy here. You've betrayed us!"

He fell to his knees in supplication. "Please, forgive me, mistress. I never meant to betray you or your husband; you may punish me as you see fit."

Deeply disturbed by the man's words, Stoick insisted "Leave him be! I made him bring me here. It's not his fault. I am Stoick the Vast, Chief of the Hooligan Tribe of Berk. And you must be the wife of the chief of this tribe" he surmised.

She drew herself up and nodded, once. "I am Kalda, wife of Hauke. If you've come for my husband, you won't find him here. He won't be returning to Raudabein for months." Kalda didn't sound too regretful about that.

"But where has he gone?" Stoick demanded impatiently. "My son was slain by dragon hunters five days past, and I know they came from this village. Tell me where they went, and we will leave in peace." He meant it; discovering that the 'hunters' attacking them were really slaves following orders, and seeing all these civilians huddled in hiding, made Stoick realise that he had declared war on a whole village for the crime of a few. _Hiccup would never have wanted this._

Kalda shook her head. "I don't know where he is. No, really, I don't!" she protested, when Stoick's fingers tightened around the shaft of his hammer. "He leaves, but he never tells me where he goes. He doesn't want me to betray him. All I know is that he and his men will have gone to rendezvous with the army and drop off their latest catch of dragons."

 _Army? Dragons?_ Those two words made the hairs on the back of Stoick's neck stand up. "What army?" he questioned immediately, praying it wasn't what he feared. _It can't be that. Please, don't let it be that, don't let it be him…_

Despite his silent pleas, Kalda replied with the one answer he didn't want to hear. "You mean you don't know? Hauke sells the dragons he captures on voyages to Drago Bludvist. You're lucky, if you've never heard of him."

"No…no, I know him…I've seen him…" Stoick whispered, hammer going slack in his hand. _I alone control the dragons…if you bow down and follow me…then see how well you do without me!_ The Althing Hall, bursting into flames; armoured dragons crashing through the roof; everyone running and screaming; Stoick throwing himself through burning timbers to escape, watching as his fellow chiefs were trapped by the collapsing building, as men _flew away on dragons…_

He blinked, realising that Kalda was speaking again. "I've told you all I know. Now keep your side of the bargain and _leave._ You and all those dragon riders."

Slowly, he nodded. "Of course. Come on, Skull Crusher." The dragon snorted as if impatient, and wheeled around to trudge out of the doorway.

"Wait!" Kalda suddenly cried out. Stoick paused, looking back over his shoulder at her. She swallowed, looking less like a shield-maiden standing up to invaders in her home, and more like a frightened mother. "Please…my eldest son is with Hauke. He's under his father's thumb, but Adulfr is..he's not…I know your son must have died on Hauke's orders, if not by his hand, so it's only fair that you…but please, have mercy on mine" she begged Stoick, tears in her eyes.

He could hardly believe what she was saying. Did she honestly think he would kill her son just because her husband had killed his? "I won't harm your son" he promised. He would make no such pledge about not killing this 'Hauke'. Any man who kept thralls, who tried to control his wife, who worked for that _madman_ …Stoick would probably want him dead even if he wasn't responsible for Hiccup's death. With that, he climbed up onto the saddle, and they took off.

Skull Crusher hovered high above the village. Fortunately, from what Stoick could see, the houses had escaped destruction. His ill-conceived plan of vengeance would not disrupt Raudabein too much, or so he hoped. How strange to wish that for the village of his enemy…but _they_ were not the enemy. Stoick knew exactly who was, now. His dragon roared, and the others gathered.

From their expressions, he could tell their mission had not gone entirely to plan either. "We freed every dragon we could" Astrid informed the chief, "but Toothless…he's not here. Those hunters still have him…if he's even alive. We failed" she said despondently. Unbeknownst to her, at almost this very moment, Hiccup and Toothless were trying and failing to escape from the hunters.

Stoick denied it. "You haven't failed, Astrid. Releasing those dragons was not a failure. Besides, we're finished here. The call to war is off. Let's go home." His tone brook no disagreement, and although a few of them – well, one of them – looked ready to protest, a single glare from the chief had everyone dutifully flying back east. Kalda's words ran in his ears. _Hauke works for Drago Bludvist._

* * *

When they returned to Berk three days later, Stoick called the dragon riders – the original team – to the training ring for an emergency meeting. In solemn tones, he explained to them what he'd learned from Kalda. He told them of Drago Bludvist, and what happened the last time that monster came to the archipelago, and what it meant if he had truly returned.

They listened wide-eyed, and when he was finished, Fishlegs asked shakily, "Th-there's…there's someone gathering a dragon armyout there? B-but what about _our_ dragons?" He clutched nervously at his Gronckle as if afraid she'd be snatched away right there and then. She rumbled and licked his cheek.

"That's what I'm worried about, Fishlegs" Stoick admitted. "Drago Bludvist is a madman, without conscience or mercy…and if he's raised a dragon army, then gods help us. That's why I need you all to shake down the archipelago and see if you can track down the whereabouts of this army, or whether it's heading for us. No, it's not a matter of if – it's a matter of when. We need to be prepared."

"Don't try to take them on" he warned sternly. "Whatever you find out, come straight back here and tell me. Don't go out alone, travel in pairs. Which in your case", he looked pointedly at the twins, "does not mean just the two of you. Take someone from the A-Team with you, if you have to. Keep out of trouble, don't draw attention to yourselves, and make sure your dragons do the same. This is a matter of life and death. Do you all understand?" Stoick questioned.

All of them nodded – except Tuffnut, who saluted. Astrid stepped forwards and boldly met the chieftain's eyes. "The hunters from Raudabein. Their chief, you said his wife told you they had gone to rendezvous with this army. Which means…if we find the army, we find whoever killed Hiccup."

"This isn't about revenge anymore, Astrid" Stoick tried to insist. "It's about protecting our tribe. I hate to say it, but this is bigger than Hiccup…oh, who am I kidding? A bit of vengeance would go down a treat…but I don't want you lot taking unnecessary risks trying to avenge my son, okay? Leave that to me."

"Okay, Chief. But if this is our only chance to find the bastards that took him from us and make them pay, then we're in. Aren't we, girl?" she asked Stormfly, who rattled her spines and croaked an affirmative.

Expressions of resolve came over the other rider's faces. "Hiccup was our best friend" Fishlegs declared, "Meatlug and I are in." She set her feet and snarled.

"Hey, don't count out me and Fangster. Those hunters are gonna get roasted for what they did to Hiccup." Hookfang flamed up and growled menacingly.

"As my sister-nut and I like to say, if you mess with one rider, you get the whole…uh…what do you call a group of dragon riders? Team? Posse? Flock?"

"We'll worry about that later. Point is, we're in. All four of us" Ruffnut announced, gesturing to herself, her brother and Barf&Belch.

All of them were determined to find this army; to protect their home, and their dragons from this madman Bludvist; and, Thor willing, to find the hunters responsible for Hiccup's death, and avenge the heir of Berk once and for all.


	9. Chapter 9 - Breaking Point

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

 **A/N: Trigger warning for threats/mentions of and off-screen rape.**

Chapter Nine – Breaking Point

Hiccup had been burned and scalded before. He worked in a forge, it wasn't uncommon to get the odd singe, and he'd spilled hot water on himself more than once. Usually, he just washed it off with cold water and winced through the pain until it faded. Only this time, it was a blast from a Scauldron he was dealing with, and the sensation was almost unbearable.

Hiccup felt as if red hot skewers had been jabbed all over his stomach; if this was an echo, how much more agonising must it have been for Toothless? "It's okay, bud. It's gonna be okay" he insisted, as he guided the dragon back to their cell. He hated that he had to leave him to be locked up again. When they reached the cage, he encouraged, "There you go. Can you lie on your side?"

Toothless moaned in pain, and squinted suspiciously at the hunter who had followed them down. "Don't worry, bud. I'm here" Hiccup declared, a promise to defend. He carefully helped the dragon lie on his side, exposing his raw, injured underbelly. "Oh, Toothless" he murmured sadly, pressing a hand against his own tummy in an attempt to alleviate the pain for both of them.

"I'm gonna fetch the surgeon" his warden announced, locking the cage before he went. Hiccup couldn't have cared less. Toothless' wound looked really bad, but if the surgeon came with bandages, (would they? For a dragon?) then he had to clean it first. "Toothless, listen. I need to get these loose scales off. It's gonna hurt, but they'll make things worse if we leave them. You gotta trust me."

Toothless panted, and whimpered. *Of course…I trust you* he replied. Hiccup stroked his head gratefully, and set about carefully picking off the loose, broken scales and bits of skin. Some of them came off easily. Others were embedded in Toothless' flesh, and hurt the most to ease out. When he'd gotten rid of them all, Hiccup wiped his hands on his tunic and asked Toothless to open his mouth.

Confused, the dragon did so. He pulled his fangs in when Hiccup's hands went right inside his mouth, wiping over his tongue. *What are you doing?* he asked, bewildered. In answer, Hiccup gingerly wiped his spit covered fingers over the edge of Toothless' wound. For a second it stung like fire; then it was replaced by coolness, the saliva trickling over the injury. They both sighed in relief.

"That helping, bud?" Hiccup murmured. "I know dragons lick their wounds, but you can't reach, so I thought…" He trailed off when he met Toothless' eyes. The dragon's pupils had been slit with pain, but now they were wide and full of love. *You are…the cleverest human in the world* he praised. Hiccup felt himself smiling, in spite of everything. "Thanks. You're not too bad yourself."

As he covered the wound in Toothless' saliva, Hiccup found himself scowling. "I can't believe that stupid Scauldron! It just attacked you for no reason. I know they're aggressive, but you hadn't done anything, I don't care if we were in its territory. What was it thinking, swimming right up to a dragon hunter ship?"

Toothless listened to him rant for a few moments before responding. *He wasn't really attacking me. He was helping me. Sort of* he winced. Hiccup paused his ministrations and stared. "He…wait, what?"

*I asked him to get me back on deck. I thought he was just gonna pick me up, but I guess he didn't want to risk getting caught* Toothless explained. Hiccup took a few moments to digest this, before launching into a fresh tirade against selfish, idiot Scauldrons. "I swear, if that dragon shows up again, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!"

"Who the heck are you talking to?"

Hiccup jumped and whipped round to see the warden and the surgeon on the other side of the bars. He shifted to block Toothless' injury from view. "I was talking to my dragon, sir" he replied calmly. Well, it was the truth.

" _Sure_ you were. C'mon, get out the way so he can bandage up the Night Fury" the hunter said impatiently, unlocking the cage door. Hiccup didn't move.

"I can bandage him."

"You've got chores to finish."

"Don't remind me" Hiccup grimaced. The hunter scowled and took a step into the cell, only to leap back and curse as a small fireball exploded near his feet.

"Toothless, no!" Hiccup cried out, much to the Night Fury's chagrin. "You're too hurt. It'll just make things worse" he insisted. Then he looked at the hunter. "I'll finish the chores. _Sir._ But Toothless won't let anyone near him. He just showed you what he'll do if you come any closer, and he was aiming to miss."

There was a tense stand-off between Hiccup and the scowling hunter. It was broken by the surgeon, who announced "Oh, just let him stay. The sooner we get the Night Fury bandaged up, the sooner he can go back to doing whatever you want him to do." Much to Hiccup's relief, the hunter backed down, though he was clearly displeased. _Good_ , Hiccup thought bitterly.

He crouched by Toothless and stroked him to keep him calm as the surgeon approached. The man looked nervous. "Ah…I've patched dragons up before, but they're usually, uh, knocked out or chained down first" he admitted. "I don't suppose we could…muzzle it, at least?"

Frowning deeply, Hiccup refused. " _No._ Look, he's not gonna attack you. He knows you're not here to hurt him…you're not going to hurt him, right?" he asked suspiciously. No matter how genial the surgeon acted, he still worked for Hauke, and thus Hiccup could not trust him. Not with Toothless' welfare.

"Well, pulling the loose scales off will probably hurt…oh, but you've already done that. Excellent. Means I won't be needing these" the surgeon remarked, setting aside a nasty looking pair of tweezers. "The tricky part will be getting the bandages around it with its wings in the way" he went on, unravelling a roll of off-white linen. _Toothless is not an 'it'_ , Hiccup wanted to protest.

"His saliva is really sticky" he commented, putting a slight stress on the pronoun. The surgeon remained oblivious, however.

"Yes, I've noticed. Ah! You think we can just stick the bandages on?"

Hiccup shrugged, feigning indifference. "It's worth a try. Um…did you bring anything for the pain?" he asked, grimacing as a particularly bad spasm went through them both. Toothless groaned. "It's okay, bud. Just hold on" Hiccup urged him, stroking his head comfortingly. He hated this; it reminded him of seeing his best friend poisoned with oleander, or with dragon root. Hiccup felt so frustrated, helpless to do anything to ease his friend's suffering.

The surgeon actually winced. "Ah…I would have, but there's only so much of that painkilling potion we have, and the Chief doesn't want it wasted on the dragons. It would take more for them, because they're bigger, you see" he explained. Hiccup frowned. _So much for that._ Then he had another idea.

"What if I drank the potion?" Hiccup asked Toothless hopefully, "Would you stop feeling the pain too?" As he spoke, the surgeon handed him a strip of bandages and he held it up for Toothless to lick. The dragon replied, *I don't know…but if this potion will stop you hurting, you should drink it.*

Hiccup frowned. "Not if it won't help you too. There'd be no point. Besides, I don't want you to go through this alone" he insisted.

*…Stubborn human.*

"Of course I'm stubborn, I'm a Viking."

The surgeon gave him an odd look. "You're not actually talking to it, are you?"

"He's not an it!" Hiccup snapped; but then he sighed, giving the argument up as a lost cause. "Oh, never mind. Let's just get these bandages on before he bleeds any more" he insisted, carefully draping the first one over Toothless' wound. Once it was covered, Hiccup crisscrossed the bandages over the dragon's back, so they could be secured without hindering his wings.

"Don't worry too much. Dragons shed their scales all the time; give it a few days and I'm sure the Night Fury will be good as new" the surgeon announced as he stepped out of the cage door. Hiccup was tempted to stay where he was, but that hunter was glaring impatiently, and he didn't want to risk the man's ire.

"I'm sorry, bud. I have to go. But I'll be back, I promise. You just get some rest" he urged Toothless, giving him one last stroke before reluctantly tearing himself away. He and Toothless watched each other through the bars as the warden locked the cage again; then he gripped Hiccup's arm and dragged him into the pulley-cage. "I can walk on my own" he snapped, twisting out of the man's grip.

The hunter immediately pinned him against the side of the cage with one arm, and drove a meaty fist into his sore stomach. Hiccup groaned; he could hear Toothless shrieking. "That's for being a smartass" the hunter snarled, "and _that's_ for making me look like a fool, and _that_ is for wasting my time" he went on, delivering two more blows to the younger man's abdomen. Then he released Hiccup, who doubled over, gasping for breath. "Wretched brat."

* * *

After the disastrous failed escape attempt, and his insistence on staying with Toothless, he was forced to work even harder and longer to finish so much work. The one good thing…well, tolerable thing about having to do all these mind numbing chores was that it took Hiccup's mind off the pain, and his predicament. The soreness began to fade after a while; but the threat made by Hauke lingered like a malevolent shadow in the back of his mind all day.

By the time he was taken back to the cell, Hiccup was exhausted. He just wanted to curl up on that blanket under Toothless' wing and sleep, preferably for a week. Only… _Do with you as they please,_ Hauke's voice echoed ominously in his head. Hiccup shuddered. He tried in vain to get comfortable on the hard planks and threadbare blanket, that shifted and rolled beneath them.

Tired as he was, Hiccup just couldn't rest. He was too stressed, too scared. His fidgeting soon caught Toothless' attention. The dragon crooned in concern. *Hiccup? Are you alright?* he asked. *Is your belly hurting?* he guessed, whining in sympathy. That was the one thing he didn't like about the heart bind; he couldn't regret saving Hiccup, but he wished they didn't have to share pain.

"No…I just can't sleep" Hiccup admitted in a small voice. "I'm so tired, but…I just can't stop thinking."

*What are you thinking about?*

"…I don't wanna talk about it" he murmured, not meeting Toothless' eyes. The dragon whined softly, tugging at his heartstrings. "Don't look at me like that."

*Hiccup, please, talk to me. You promised* insisted Toothless. Hiccup sighed; but he had indeed promised not to shut his other half out. "It's not you" he reassured Toothless, "I just…I don't know how to…I can't stop thinking about the threat Hauke made, up on deck. Him and that creep. If we try to escape, and we fail, they're gonna…" He shuddered again, skin crawling.

*We won't fail* Toothless insisted. *You'll come up with a plan, you always do. We just have to be patient. Then we'll make our move and get out of here. The monsters won't be able to hurt you, Hiccup* he assured his other half.

Hiccup wanted to believe him, he really did. "It's _how_ they want to hurt me that I'm scared of" he admitted. When Toothless prompted him with a curious grunt, Hiccup took a deep breath to steel himself. "Toothless…do you know what…what rape is?" he asked, expecting the dragon to say no.

Toothless stiffened; his pupils turned to slits, and he snarled. "So, is that a yes?"

*Are you trying to tell me* Toothless growled, *That these monsters threatened to _rape_ you?!*

Hiccup was more surprised by Toothless' understanding than his anger. "I didn't think you'd actually know what it was" he confessed, though he was secretly grateful. Trying to explain such a terrible thing would have been…awkward.

*Sometimes in mating seasons, drakes get impatient. They can't find a female who will accept them, so they just…* Toothless trailed off. It didn't need to be said. *It's rare, though. Most dragons won't ever risk it, even for mating.*

"…Why not?"

Toothless looked into his eyes and replied, deadly serious, *Because the dragons who try it either get exiled from their packs, or they get torn apart. Which is just what I'm going to do to those monsters if they try to hurt you like that. I promise, Hiccup, if they even think about raping you, I will _kill_ them.*

The intensity in the Night Fury's gaze and the ferocity of his growl made Hiccup shiver. He wasn't afraid, though. Toothless' anger did not scare him, but made him feel safe. "Let's…let's hope it doesn't come to that" he whispered. Then he yawned, eyelids drooping. He was so tired. Maybe now he could get some rest… "Um, Toothless?" he asked shyly, "could you…maybe…sing that lullaby again?"

Toothless relaxed; his growl became a purr and his gaze softened. *How about I tell you a story?* he suggested. Hiccup mumbled agreement, so Toothless tucked his tail under Hiccup's head for a pillow, and began his tale. *You remember that time we were captured by Outcasts, or as I liked to call them, Huge Ugly Vikings…*

* * *

It would normally take about six days for new scales to grow back. However, because of their heart bind, a little of Hiccup's strength was given to Toothless, meaning his body would heal in half the time. Hiccup had three days to come up with a plan to escape. Easier said than done; the monsters watched him like hawks, and he constantly had at least one of them breathing down his neck.

He felt like they were stalking him, waiting for him to screw up again so they could pounce. Hiccup did everything he could to hide his intentions. He didn't speak to them unless he had to, but in his head he ranted and made as many sarcastic jabs as he liked. He put up with the chores, using the monotony to focus on coming up with a foolproof way to get out of this wretched place.

Hiccup actually felt safer in the chain-net tent than he did anywhere else on the ship from Helheim. The first part of his plan was to gain the trust of the other dragons. Fortunately, they understood that he was being forced to train them to fight each other. Hiccup used the 'training' as a way to show them how they could break out, if they worked together and combined their fire-power.

Slowly but surely, his plan came together. Except that when Toothless' scales had grown back, and they could put the plan into action, Hiccup didn't make a move. He wanted to. He had to. He couldn't deny the dragons this chance at freedom, and he needed to return home. But every time he tried to work up the courage, the fear of failure, and the consequences of that failure, held him back.

 _Do with you as they please_ Hauke threatened him, over and over, in his head. _Got something else you can ride_ Creep leered at him. He tried to tell himself it was worth the risk. That the plan would work, that he'd go back to Berk and never have to think about this ordeal again. Still, the mere thought of what they might do to him, how they would humiliate him, made Hiccup reluctant to try.

They had been captured for two weeks; far longer than they'd ever been before. Hiccup longed to escape, but he kept picking holes in his own plans. What if they noticed him snatching the keys? What if the dragons couldn't break through the metal? What if the hunters managed to shoot them down? Toothless tried to reassure him, of course, but there was only so much the dragon could do or say to assuage Hiccup's fears.

He wished he could get to the modified tail-fin, but Hauke only brought it out when they wanted to force Toothless to tow the ship with three other dragons. They always chained Toothless up and muzzled him before they let Hiccup strap on the prosthetic, which meant they couldn't simply make a break for it right then and there. Hiccup couldn't risk getting caught trying to steal the fin either.

With every passing day, the petty cruelty and drudgery took their toll. Hiccup's self-confidence began to erode; if he couldn't bring himself to even try to escape, what was he good for? Toothless was being incredibly patient, all things considered, but the other dragons kept asking when they were going to escape. He was letting them all down; he was letting his father and friends down. He was a coward. He was selfish. He was a fool. He was useless.

Gods, why was this happening to him? What had he done to deserve this? He'd gotten himself and Toothless into this horrible mess, so it was up to him to get them out. He could understand why he was being punished by the universe, at least to some extent – but Toothless had been nothing but supportive and loving the whole time. _He_ did not deserve to be enslaved.

In the end, that was what made Hiccup decide to take the risk, a month after their capture. He would do it for Toothless, because his other half had already done so much for him. The thought of failing still terrified him, but he shoved it aside. He had to do this. It was now or never. By the next morning, he would either be free or…Hiccup resisted even thinking about the 'or'.

As for Onarr…even though they didn't exactly get along (for the past few weeks, Onarr had been what one might call 'grudgingly civil' to Hiccup, which was better than outright hostility), Hiccup still felt sorry for him. His conscience wouldn't leave him alone. So on the morning of his planned escape day, whilst they were gutting fish, Hiccup whispered to him that he was breaking the dragons out, and if Onarr could get on deck that evening they could take him with them. He refused, and called Hiccup a fool for even thinking about it.

When his warden for the day took him back to the cell, Hiccup stepped inside and waited for the man to lock the cage door behind him. "Goodnight, Ugly" he said, loud enough for the hunter to hear.

"What did you just call me, thrall?"

"I called you Ugly" he retorted, turning to face the scowling hunter. "I figured if you lot keep calling me names, I ought to return the favour – Argh!" Hiccup cried out when Ugly shot a hand through the bars and dragged him closer, slamming him against them. Toothless shrieked and leapt up from his crouch, but he couldn't even try to attack, not with Hiccup in the way.

"You insolent little worm. What's it gonna take to teach you some respect?" Ugly demanded, moving his grip on Hiccup's tunic to his neck and squeezing. Hiccup struggled and gasped, clawing at the man's thick fingers.

"I…I'm…s-sorry, s-sir! P-please…!" he choked out. With one last glare, Ugly shoved him away. He staggered backwards and fell against Toothless, who moved to catch him and snarled at Ugly.

"Shut up, dragon! Let this be a lesson, thrall – keep your smart mouth shut, or you'll choke." With that threat made, Ugly spat at him through the bars and made his way to the prow pulley cage. Hiccup didn't move from his huddle against Toothless until the hunter had hauled himself up out of sight. Then he smirked, peeking down at the keys he'd filched from the man's belt.

*Well done* Toothless purred, nuzzling him encouragingly. Hiccup gave him a more genuine smile, and moved to unlock the cage. It was a bit tricky getting his wrist to turn the key in the lock from behind, but he managed it at last. Once they were out, Hiccup got to work releasing all the other dragons. Toothless urged them to be quiet; they crept as best as they could to the stern.

The pulley-cage was gone, and the empty space it moved in gaped dark and ominous. "Don't panic" Hiccup urged them in a loud whisper. "Blaze, can you give us some light?" he asked the young Fire-Scale, who obligingly flamed up. Hiccup looked into the empty space and saw… "There, in the corner. Those are the ropes they use for the pulley. So there must be a counterweight…"

He felt around and sure enough, there was a massive sandbag just within reach of his fingertips towards the side of the ship. No wonder hauling the pulley-cage up and down was such hard work. He traced the ropes, figuring out which one did what. "This is the one. If one of you bites or breaks through this, the pulley-cage will come crashing down. We can break through the top of it easier than the bottom, and there'll be nothing in the way after that."

*But won't the monsters hear it fall?* asked Topaz. Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, it'll be loud. So Toothless and I are gonna run back to the prow and burn the ropes for the other cage."

*No* growled Libon, *I'll go back. My kind are made for running. You and your other half need to get out of here* he insisted. When Hiccup looked reluctant, he grunted reassuringly and lowered his snout to the human's hand. *I'll be right behind you* he promised. Hiccup impulsively hugged him, and Toothless gave him a respectful nod.

"We'll wait for you to get there" Hiccup declared, causing Blaze – who was on the verge of burning the ropes – to pause. Libon hurried down the companionway to the prow of the ship…it was a straight route, but very long. Then Toothless' sharp hearing picked up a sound he dreaded hearing tonight. The rattling and scratching rope-against-rope noise the pulley-cages made.

*They're coming down, both of them!* he roared, loud enough to warn Libon, who skidded to a halt. By now, all the dragons could hear the nearest cage being lowered. They bristled and pulled back. "Blaze, the ropes! Burn them!" Hiccup ordered. If they couldn't sneak out, they would fight. Blaze torched the ropes indiscriminately. "Everyone, hold your ground. This ends, _now._ "

On the inside his heart was hammering. _They know. How do they know? Unless…Onarr! He betrayed me, that…that son of a snake! I should never have tried to help him. I can't trust anyone here but the dragons, when am I gonna learn that?_ Hiccup berated himself. Well, if Hauke thought he was going to give up because of this, he had another thing coming.

The pulley-cage came down with a resounding crash. In unison, the dragons breathed fire through the bars, and the Spike-Tails flicked, well, spikes with pinpoint accuracy over their heads. The screams Hiccup was braced to hear never came. Instead, whatever was in the cage exploded, sending a purple smoky gas spewing out. _Stun gas. No, no, no, no, no!_

The other dragons began to succumb almost straightaway, but Toothless recognised this gas too. With Hiccup on his shoulders, he backed away out of the cloud, flapping his wings to dispel it. Then he turned and ran from it to face down the hunters running towards them, roaring viciously. He would fight the monsters and win, and then he and Hiccup would charge through the ship.

He gathered his flames until he could hold it back no longer, and fired. At the same time, the two nearest hunters raised crossbows and fired. Hiccup expected the arrows to be obliterated by Toothless' blast. But the hunters hadn't fired arrows or bolts – they had shot a net with bolas, a dragon-proof net that was barely slowed down and draped itself over them.

Toothless-Hiccup immediately fought to get free of the net, but in their distraction they could not prepare for the second, far more damning strike. Toothless felt something bite into his foreleg. A dart. Not dipped in dragon root poison, but something else. Something…that was making him…sleepy…

"Toothless?! No! Toothless!" Hiccup cried desperately, as the Night Fury staggered and collapsed, knocked out in seconds. Terrified, he shoved and yelled at his friend in desperation. "Wake up! Get up, Toothless, please! You can't – you can't leave me!" he begged tearfully. The net covering them was ripped away, and he was torn from Toothless despite his struggles.

"Let go of me! Toothless!" Hiccup screamed, but it fell on deaf, unconscious ears. _We're heart bound! He can feel my fear, he'll wake up!_ "Toothless!"

"He can't hear you" Hauke said coldly. "I'm disappointed, thrall. I was actually starting to think you'd finally learned your place, but apparently not."

Hiccup glared at him with utter loathing and disgust. "You're wrong. I do know my place, and it isn't here!"

"And yet, here you are. I did warn you, boy. I warned you what would happen if you tried to escape again. Take him away and…amuse yourselves" Hauke ordered the three hunters accompanying him. Hiccup's blood ran cold. He struggled even harder; there was nowhere to go, but he couldn't just give up and let them take him like that.

"What about the dragons, Chief?"

"We can always knock them out again. Leave them. By the time they wake up, you'll be through with him" Hauke declared. One of the hunters threw Hiccup over his shoulders, and they marched down the companionway. Hiccup kicked and beat his fists against the man's broad back and thrashed for all he was worth. One hunter grabbed his legs; the other grabbed his wrists.

They couldn't cover his mouth, though. "Toothless! Help me! HELP MEEEE!"

* * *

 _Fear._ He couldn't move. _Shame._ He had to wake. _Terror_. Hiccup needed him.

 _PAIN._

Toothless' eyes snapped open. He lurched to his paws with a snarl, fangs bared, pupils slit. Those eel-eating monsters had knocked him out and Hiccup – Hiccup was _gone._ No! He had to save his other half, he _promised_. Toothless could feel echoes, strong imprints, of Hiccup's disgust, horror, humiliation…and pain, in places he didn't know it was possible to hurt. Toothless was blazing with rage.

Then he realised – he wasn't trapped in a cage. The monsters had just left him where he fell. That would be the last mistake they ever made. Toothless' anger coursed through him, fuelled by the echoes of his beloved's torment. If felt as if he'd set himself alight like a Fire-Scale. Out of the corner of his eye, Toothless thought he saw a mysterious, vivid blue glow appearing, but he dismissed it.

He couldn't fly, but he didn't need to. The pulley cage was not the only way up into the ship; there was a ladder and a hatch right there, and one fire-blast was all it took to reduce the closed hatch to splinters. He scrambled up the ladder, and sprinted to the next one, following the tug of the heart bind. Every obstacle in his path was blasted into oblivion, and he barely noticed, seeing only red.

Toothless heard shouting, the stamp of running boots. The monsters knew he was on the loose. They would fear him now. At last he reached the place where Hiccup was. As he charged towards the flimsy wooden doors, Toothless summoned his inner fire and prepared a blast, the biggest yet. It struck the final barrier between him and his other half, which exploded in a maelstrom of flames and charred splinters. Toothless let out an ear-splitting bellow.

The monsters never stood a chance. Consumed by rage, fear, disgust, the Night Fury leapt on the first and dug claws into its throat. As the monster choked on its own blood, the dragon lunged at another, tearing at the arm wielding a blade and gouging out the monster's heart with his already bloodied claws. The third monster tried to run – the Night Fury roared and leapt, pinning it down.

Deaf to the monster's screams for mercy, the raging dragon wrapped his jaws around its head and bit down with crushing strength. He shook his head violently from side to side until he heard a _crack_ , and spat out the broken skull. The dragon spun around, fangs and claws soaked crimson, to defend himself and his other half from the monsters running towards them.

The first thing he saw was Hiccup, crouched naked and trembling on the floor, covered in sweat with tears streaking down his face. Reeking of blood and seed that ran in rivulets down his legs. Staring at the dragon with eyes wide in absolute horror and fear. Toothless' rage dissipated at once. His pupils widened once more, and he stretched his blood-stained snout towards Hiccup with a low croon, trying to comfort him. Hiccup flinched, curling in on himself.

 _What have I done?_ Toothless looked around at the bodies he'd torn into and felt sick. His rampage had terrified the one he loved most and worst of all, he had not protected Hiccup as he had sworn to do. They had violated his beloved one in the worst of ways. He felt no guilt for killing the monsters responsible; it was what they deserved. He felt guilty for doing the unthinkable – scaring Hiccup.

More hunters appeared in the doorway. Toothless instinctively moved to stand over Hiccup, snarling a protective threat. They stared at the carnage, just as horrified as his dear one, but their opinion didn't matter to him at all. He gathered his flames to blast them away, but before he could fire, darts bit into him once more. He felt himself slipping into blackness. *No…Hiccup…*

* * *

What was happening? Hiccup wasn't sure. He remembered them touching him, forcing themselves on him, but the memory felt like it belonged to someone else. He couldn't seem to feel his own body; everything was numb, and yet everything hurt. He was being carried somewhere. He tried to speak, to ask them what they were going to do to him, but he couldn't move his lips.

They washed him with warm water, surprisingly gentle after the brutality he'd just suffered through. Hiccup thought he recognised the sound of their voices; the women from the galley. He was dimly aware that they were seeing him uncovered, and normally he'd be embarrassed about that. Right now he was drifting, lost in a thick fog inside his own mind. He felt tired right to the bone.

Hiccup remembered. _Toothless._ How the dragon had blasted down the door, ripped into the men who had raped him, snapping that one hunter's neck. It had been terrifying to behold. Hiccup thought he remembered seeing Toothless glowing with an eldritch blue light, but surely that was a figment of his imagination. The one thing he was sure of was that he didn't fear Toothless.

Perhaps he had, for a few moments there; but only a few. He had no doubt that Toothless would never hurt him. The only reason Hiccup had been afraid was because he wasn't used to seeing Toothless that violent and vicious. His best friend was always so gentle and affectionate with him, sometimes Hiccup lost sight of the reality that Toothless was a _dragon,_ a fierce and powerful predator.

They dried off the water and wrapped a blanket around him and laid him on something hard. He wasn't sure where he was, his eyes were closed. He just wanted to sleep, but he couldn't until he was safe. "Toothless…" He would be safe with his other half. "Toothless…" Hiccup whispered his name like a prayer.

Then a voice he dreaded demanded his attention. "Look at me, thrall" ordered Hauke. Hiccup's eyelids felt heavier than stone, but he forced them open and tried to look at the man standing over him. He couldn't focus properly. Hauke was blurred, but Hiccup could hear him well enough. "I will send you back to the Night Fury's cell, on one condition" Hauke announced.

He gripped Hiccup's jaw and leaned down to stare into his bloodshot, prick-pupilled eyes. "That you swear you will never try to escape again." With his ultimatum made, Hauke straightened and waited for the response.

 _I can't do it. Toothless, these dragons, my dad, my friends…they're all counting on me_ Hiccup thought, at first. _But I failed. I'll fail again, and I can't…_ he could not risk being raped again. At last he understood what Onarr really meant when he said _some punishments leave scars you can't see. I can't believe he betrayed me. I should never have tried to help him. I can't even help myself._

His tribe thought he was dead. They would grieve, but they would be okay. He would earn the captive dragons forgiveness for failing them or die trying. He wished that he wasn't condemning Toothless to a life of slavery, but he couldn't bear to be without him, and he knew Toothless wouldn't leave him either.

This was all his fault. His reckless disobedience had led them into this living nightmare, and defiance had only caused them more suffering and pain. Better to submit, then. Hiccup's lips moved and he heard himself speaking. "Master…I swear…I won't try to escape." He could no longer fight the urge to sleep. He passed out, praying he would wake up in Toothless' arms.

* * *

*Hiccup!* cried Toothless as he jerked awake. He quickly realised three things; he was muzzled, he was back in the cage, and his other half was not there. _I failed._ The weight of it seemed to crush him, made it hard to breathe.

The rattling of the pulley-cage seized his attention. Toothless leapt to his feet, tensing and growling; even more so when the first person to emerge from the cage was Hauke. The monster's alpha stood in front of the bars and looked down at him. Toothless expected him to be angry, but instead Hauke seemed pleased, which was more unnerving still. If he was happy it could not be good.

"Your precious rider has submitted, dragon" he remarked, clearly taking great pleasure in revealing this. Toothless snarled at the wrongness of it. Hiccup would never submit! "He swore to never try and escape again, just to be taken back to you. I wonder, will you do the same?" Hauke beckoned someone out of the pulley-cage. Another monster approached – and they were carrying Hiccup.

Toothless took a step forwards impulsively. He could feel echoes of the pain his other half was in, but no other emotions. Now he knew why – Hiccup was unconscious. A longing whine escaped the dragon's throat. He just wanted to hold his dear one close and never let go. Hauke tapped the bars of the cage to get his attention. "If you want him back, dragon, and that muzzle off, then bow to me."

Toothless balked. He would not! The mere thought made him want to gag like he was coughing up bad food. Hiccup moaned in his sleep. Toothless wanted to comfort him, but if the only way to get that chance was to submit…then so be it. Hiccup was more important than his pride. *You're a Moon-damned, eel-eating son of a snake* he told Hauke, before forcing himself to bow before the man.

Moments later, he heard the click of the cage being unlocked. Toothless immediately shifted to lie on his side with one wing curved under him. Pushing aside his instinctive need to not show his belly to a threat, Toothless raised his other wing and pointed with his snout at the space between his forelegs, indicating that Hiccup should be laid there. He didn't take his eyes off Hiccup, even as the hunter gingerly placed his limp body in the dragon's grasp, and removed the muzzle with trembling fingers.

Toothless wrapped his wings around Hiccup, ducked his head to nuzzle and lick him, swept his tail around to cocoon them both in black scales. *I'm here, love. It's okay. I'll do better this time, I promise. I won't let them hurt you* he reassured his other half, who slept on regardless. Hauke and the other monster left, but Toothless kept watch, determined not to fall asleep a third time.

* * *

He was tired. He hurt, deep inside; his whole body throbbed with aching. Yet at the same time it was as if he wasn't in his body…everything felt distant, detached. He was floating, sinking into a fog. His eyes were closed, but when he opened them, everything was still pitch black. There was a large, warm, steadily breathing mass right beside him, a heartbeat pulsating with a familiar rhythm.

Hiccup stirred, and turned his face towards that heartbeat. His fingers twitched as he tried to reach out to touch it, but he was too weak. "…Toothless…" he breathed, recognising the feeling of scales beneath his cheek, the warmth of his dragon's heart fire. He was wrapped in Toothless' wings, and felt safe.

*I'm here* Toothless assured him, nuzzling his temple. *Hiccup, love…I'm so sorry* the dragon whimpered, and Hiccup felt a flash of his guilt.

"What for?" Hiccup asked. Or at least he tried to, but the best he could manage was a questioning noise. Toothless still understood. *I failed you* he moaned, *I promised I wouldn't let them rape you, but they did and I – I tried to save you, I was too late, and I _scared_ you. I didn't want – I never meant to – I'm sorry!* Dragons did not cry, but Toothless' whimpers sounded like he was weeping.

"I'm not scared" Hiccup whispered. He knew Toothless could hear him. He tried to shift onto his side, to see his friend better, but it hurt too much. He groaned. Toothless nuzzled him again. Panting, Hiccup caught his breath and insisted, "I'm not…scared of you." Talking was difficult, but he needed to say that.

*…You're not?*

"I was, a bit" he admitted, stroking what little of Toothless he could reach. "Not anymore" Hiccup went on breathlessly. "You've been…here for me in…the worst time of my _life…_ I love you" he murmured, basking in the warmth of Toothless' heart fire and the waves of _love_ radiating through their bond. "It's not your fault. There's nothing…you could have done. I'm…the one who let you down."

Toothless held him close and purred, thrumming at just the right pitch to ease Hiccup's aching body. *You could never let me down* he declared firmly.

The fog in his mind had faded, and now Hiccup remembered more clearly what they had done to him. He shuddered, skin crawling; he didn't _want_ to remember. The pain…the shame of it. He felt like anyone who saw him would know, they'd know as sure as they knew he was a thrall when they saw his…

He had denied it as much as possible, but he could escape it no longer. He was enslaved. He had submitted. He had _lost._ The thought constricted his chest, made his breath hitch. Before he knew it, tears were streaming down his cheeks. His home, his father, his friends…he would never see them again. _But I still have Toothless_ he told himself, _and that…that's enough._


	10. Chapter 10 - Paths Converging

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Ten – Paths Converging

The sky was clear, the air crisp. The ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see, in every direction. A pod of Thunderdrums were breaching, churning the water as they surged up to breathe and slipped under the waves once more. Stormfly kept flying, although she hoped they would find land soon. Her wings were beginning to tire. She could feel Astrid getting fatigued as well.

"Easy, girl" Astrid murmured, patting her dragon's neck. "You can make it. The island that Snotlout mentioned can't be far now." He and Gustav had been on a scouting mission together, but they must have gotten on each other's nerves, because both claimed the other had ditched them. Personally, Astrid suspected Snotlout was the ditcher; it wasn't as if he hadn't done that before.

As for why the pair had been flying out beyond the Isle of Night…ever since they learned that the hunters who murdered Hiccup worked for this Drago Bludvist, two months ago, the riders had been trying their utmost to track him and his so-called dragon army down. One wouldn't think finding an army – or armada, more likely – would be too hard, but they'd had no luck so far.

Astrid refused to give up, though. She wouldn't rest until she took vengeance on Hiccup's murderers. She felt his absence keenly. Every time she went flying, she'd look over expecting to see him and Toothless gliding alongside her, only to be disappointed. The village seemed dull and lifeless without him, especially now that so many of the riderless dragons had abandoned Berk.

How much longer, Astrid wondered, before the whole archipelago felt his loss? So far only Dagur and Heather had learned of Hiccup's death, but Stoick could not hide the loss of his only son and heir forever. Word would get out, and what if it travelled further afield? What if more hunters out there realised that the one and only Hiccup Haddock the Third was dead, and the dragons had lost their greatest defender?

 _No. I won't let all his efforts go to waste._ Hiccup had spent years trying to make the archipelago safe for dragons; to keep Berk as a harmonious place where humans and dragons lived in peace. They would keep his dream alive, defend the archipelago in his memory. If this Drago person thought that Berk would surrender in the face of his army of dragons, he had another thing coming.

"There it is!" cried Snotlout. Astrid startled; she'd honestly forgotten he and Hookfang were there. To be fair, she'd been…distracted, all morning. She looked up and saw some tall sea-stacks on the edge of a largish, hilly island, covered in orange-red tones from the autumnal leaves. "The hunters were on the other side of the island" he added.

"Well, let's rest our dragons first and then we'll check it out" Astrid decided. She wasn't holding out much hope; they were on the eastern side of the archipelago, as far from Myrkr as one could get without going to the mainland. The odds of these hunters knowing any from the west, or of Drago Bludvist and his army, seemed very slim. Still, it was the only lead they'd found for ages.

They found a stream not too far from the shore, and landed there. Hookfang dunked his jaws in the water as soon as Snotlout dismounted, and Stormfly wasn't far behind. "Attagirl" murmured Astrid, stroking her flank, "you did great, Stormfly. How's Hookfang?" she asked, looking over at him and Snotlout.

He looked from her to his dragon and back again. "He's thirsty." Astrid gave him a deadpan, _you know what I mean_ glower. "What? He's _fine_. We've flown all the way out here and back to Berk twice now. I dunno if you noticed, but Hooky's wingspan is, like, twice the size of Stormfly's. No offence, Storm" he added, when the Nadder looked up from her drink to squawk indignantly at him.

Normally she enjoyed arguing with Snotlout, but this time Astrid decided to let it go. "Tell me more about these hunters you saw" she prompted.

"I didn't see much, but they've got a fort over there", he pointed in a vaguely south-eastern direction, "with dragons in cages. I saw net-launchers, a few catapults…the usual. But there's only, like, six of them. Kinda pathetic, huh?"

Astrid gave a noncommittal hum. "Unless they were sent ahead by a larger group to set up a base" she suggested. It was important they didn't let themselves be lulled into a false sense of security.

"Well, then they're about to find out why that is a _really_ bad idea. Honestly, I'm just glad we finally get to see some action after all this 'covert' stuff" Snotlout remarked. "The whole 'being subtle' thing doesn't suit me and Hookfang."

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "No kidding" she said dryly. Ever since Hiccup died, she'd found herself being more sarcastic, as if she could fill the void his absence left by copying some of his mannerisms. "Just remember, we're not gonna 'go in, dragons blazing'…I mean, we are, but we need to question them about any ties they have to Drago's army" she reminded him sternly.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll bet they'll be more than willing to talk after we've burned their silly little fort to cinders. I mean, they've built it out of _wood_." Snotlout scoffed at the obvious stupidity of these dragon hunters. "Idiots."

Astrid frowned. "Wooden fort or not, they've still captured and held multiple dragons" she pointed out, "which means this might not be as easy as you think. We can't underestimate these hunters, Snotlout. We have no idea what they're capable of. Taking chances could get you or me or both of us killed. Do you understand how important it is that we don't mess this up?"

She'd advanced on him without realising and he was on the verge of falling into the stream. Snotlout floundered and toppled backwards, but Astrid grabbed his outstretched hand before he could fall. "Thanks" he said gratefully when she'd pulled him back. "Don't worry, Astrid; nobody's going to die. We got this."

Astrid sighed. "I guess I got carried away. I just…after what happened to Hiccup…I can't lose anymore of you guys. If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd…" She gasped when Snotlout placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I get you. The same goes for you, y'know?"

"Thanks, Snotlout. You're a good friend…even if you are a muttonhead."

"And you're a good friend, even if you are a control freak" Snotlout responded. Astrid gaped at him indignantly, but he ignored her. "Speaking of control freaks, Gobber has been driving me crazy. Not that he's controlling, but…ugh, you know what the worst part is about Hiccup not being here? I mean apart from everything. Gobber keeps comparing me to him. Not, like, out loud – but I know he thinks I'm not as good as Hiccup was. I can tell. He's always in a bad mood…"

Snotlout went rambling on, complaining about the workload Gobber lumped on him, and sure he knew the man was grieving Hiccup but that didn't mean he had to make out that Snotlout wasn't good enough, he was trying Thor damn it, not everyone could be as perfect as Hiccup had been…

"Stoick wants to make me Chief" Astrid revealed out of the blue.

"Um…that's, err…wow. Um…congratulations?" Snotlout said uncertainly. On the inside he was thinking _Oh gods, if she becomes the next Chief, I'm doomed._

Astrid nodded slowly. "Yeah, it's…a huge honour. Of course, it won't happen for a while; we still need to deal with this new threat from Drago first. But, well, now that Hiccup is gone, Stoick still needs an heir…" She trailed off, thinking of the conversation she'd had with the chief before setting out on this mission.

/

Stoick was standing on the outcrops overlooking the village. Everywhere he looked, he saw his son's handiwork; in the network of water channels over the roofs to put out fires, in the feeding and grooming stations that were no longer frequented by so many dragons. The forge, packed to the brim with so many inventions to make Gobber's life, and building dragon saddles, easier.

He had stood here with Hiccup, so many years ago. He'd held the little boy in his arms. Stoick longed to do so again, just once more. He didn't look around when Stormfly landed nearby, and stayed silent when Astrid came to stand beside him. "Chief? Snotlout and I are going to investigate this dragon hunter camp he says he's found" she reported.

"Be careful" he insisted. Astrid could hear the worry behind the gruffness in his voice. If she had been finding it difficult without Hiccup, she could only imagine what Stoick was going through. The chief had always seemed larger than life; now, with Hiccup's loss, it was as if he had been diminished. He no longer walked tall with pride, but half-slumped with grief.

She nodded dutifully. "We will, Chief. Don't worry. I'll make sure Snotlout behaves; although, he _did_ come back to warn us instead of trying to take on these guys himself" Astrid conceded. When Stoick didn't respond, she thought perhaps it was time for her to leave. "We're heading east, out past the Isle of Night" she informed him, just to be on the safe side. Then she went to return to Stormfly and meet up with Snotlout at the forge.

"Wait, Astrid." She paused and looked back at Stoick expectantly. He sighed. "I've been…I've been thinking. You have all the makings of a fine Chief…you're fiercely loyal to Berk and our people, you're a great warrior, disciplined, clever, honest, patient…" Stoick paused to take in her reaction. Astrid checked to make sure she wasn't gaping like a fish. This was not what she'd expected at all.

Then she realised he had paused to let her say something. Had she been about to say something? "I, uh…I'm not so sure about that last one, Chief. Besides, I'm a soldier, not a leader."

"But you can lead" he insisted, "or Hiccup wouldn't have made you his second-in-command. You could learn to be a chieftain. I can teach you." Astrid's eyes widened as she began to suspect where this was going. "I'm not as young as I used to be" said Stoick. Suddenly, the wrinkles around his eyes and the grey hairs in his beard seemed more pronounced than ever.

"I won't be around to lead Berk forever. I still need an heir, even though Hiccup is…is gone…" Stoick had to pause, and she could see the pain in his eyes. "I want that heir to be you, Astrid. You're family, and I can think of no-one better to take that mantle after I'm gone, than you" he told her, giving her a genuine smile. At least he tried to, but it probably didn't quite reach his eyes.

Astrid stared at him as if she couldn't believe her ears. "I…I have to go" she blurted out, stumbling back towards Stormfly. "But…I'll think about it" she promised quickly, before swinging herself up into the saddle. Stormfly took to the air and banked over the village; Hookfang surged up to meet her and the two riders set off, heading into the sunrise. Stoick watched them go, solemn.

/

"…Astrid?...Astrid!" She blinked and came out of her reverie. Snotlout was staring at her, half concerned, half impatient. "I said, do you wanna go smack some dragon hunter heads together?"

"Oh…yeah. Yeah, let's go." They mounted up and flew onwards. It wasn't long before the forest gave way to burned trees, a wasteland; Stormfly and Hookfang soared over scorched and blackened trunks, the only ones left standing.

Snotlout looked around at the destruction and stared. "Something's wrong" he declared, setting Astrid's teeth on edge. "This wasn't…the forest wasn't burned like this. And before you say anything, no, Hookfang did not accidentally set it on fire!" he insisted defensively.

"I didn't think so" Astrid snapped back. "Maybe there was a storm; lightning started the fire, and then the rain put it out" she suggested. It was as reasonable an explanation as any. What was less easy to explain, however, was what they found when their dragons rounded a sea stack and hovered in it's shadow, looking at where Snotlout claimed the hunter's camp had been.

A huge burst of spiky, blue-green tinged ice reared out of the water, like an enormous burst of water had frozen solid in seconds. Even from there, they could see the scattered remnants of a fort; now only broken wood and mangled iron. It was all jutting out from the strange iceberg, as if the ice had frozen around the fort. "Okay, that was _definitely_ not there before."

"What could have done this?" Astrid wondered aloud.

"A Jotunn" answered Snotlout, promptly. Astrid shot him a sceptical look. "What? You asked what could have done this! A Jotunn could have!"

She rolled her eyes. _Jotunn, indeed…then again…_ "Stay sharp" she warned, "Keep an eye out for survivors." Astrid urged Stormfly forwards; the Nadder flew towards the unnatural looking iceberg reluctantly. "Easy, girl…it's okay" Astrid murmured, stroking her dragon reassuringly. She too was unnerved by the sight; however it had happened, the ice was clearly a warning.

As they neared the iceberg, Astrid noticed a massive footprint in the silt of what was left of the peninsula's beach. _Starting to reconsider the Jotunn idea._ Distracted by it, her only warning was a shout of "Fire!" and the hiss of a net hurtling through the air towards them. Stormfly must have been distracted as well; instinctively she rolled to avoid the net, but Astrid was thrown from her shoulders and plummeted, screaming.

"Astrid!" cried Snotlout, urging Hookfang into a dive. The Nightmare snatched Astrid deftly in his claws and deposited her on the ground, before landing behind her and flaming up. Stormfly doubled back and alighted on her other side, tail lashing and spikes jutting out all along it. Both riders drew their weapons and faced off defensively against the three dragon hunters.

One of them, a man with striped blue tattoos on his chin, grinned cockily. "Well, look who's back! You're new. Better looking than the other one, and all" he remarked, eyeing Astrid in a way that made her want to kick him in the groin. To his men, for he was clearly the leader, Tattoo Guy declared, "Looks like our luck has taken a turn for the better, lads! And here I thought we might be going back to Drago empty handed!"

 _Did he just say…?_ "Drago?" she demanded at once, "As in Drago Bludvist?"

"Heard of him, have you? I guess that's why you lot decided to steal all of our dragons and blast our fort to bits" said Tattoo Guy, scowling.

"Yeah, look at it!" the shorter of the other two hunters said petulantly.

"Are you guys crazy?" Snotlout asked incredulously.

"We didn't do this!" Astrid protested, indignant at the accusation.

"Yeah! This freaky looking iceberg wasn't even here the day before when Hookfang and I were spying on you!"

Tattoo Guy looked at Snotlout as if he'd just caught the younger man out. Astrid had to resist the urge to facepalm. "Nice going, blabbermouth."

"…Oops."

"Dragon trapping is hard enough work as it is" Tattoo Guy complained, "without do-gooder dragon riders sneaking in to rescue them. You lot might have an ice-spitting dragon on your side, but we still have a quota to fill."

"Drago's expecting a new shipment of dragons for his army tomorrow."

"And he don't take well to excuses."

" _This_ is what he gave me last time I showed up empty handed" said Tattoo Guy, tugging down his tunic to reveal a dragon hunter symbol branded on his shoulder. "He promised to be far less understanding in the future. So, look, this is nothing personal, alright? Just give us those dragons, nice and quiet like, and we'll let you have a rowboat to get home in." Stormfly and Hookfang snarled at the suggestion their riders give them up.

"Not happening" Astrid refused, unlimbering her axe and moving to defend Stormfly. Snotlout hadn't dismounted, but he waved his hammer threateningly at the hunters. "Where is Drago Bludvist's army hiding?" she demanded.

"You don't mess around, do you blondie?" Tattoo Guy smirked at her. Now she wanted to punch him in the face _and_ kick him in the groin. And if he thought that would distract her from noticing his subtle nod to more hunters behind them, then he was sorely mistaken.

"That's Hofferson to you. Astrid Hofferson. And you are?" she prompted, running a hand over Stormfly's flank. To an outsider it looked like a mere stroke; but it was a signal they had worked out for themselves, that meant _threat behind you._ Stormfly clicked and shifted her weight to show she understood.

"Oh, where are my manners? I am Eret, son of Eret, the finest dragon trapper alive. Now, last chance. We need those dragons, and we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Hand them over."

"Eat yak dung" Snotlout retorted, eloquent as ever.

Tattoo Guy – or rather, Eret – shrugged. "Guess it's the hard way. Rush 'em, lads!" he cried out.

"Ambush!" yelled Astrid as Stormfly spun around and flicked her spines at the other three hunters trying to corner them. Hookfang breathed fire at the ones in front, forcing them back; Astrid vaulted into the saddle and shouted "Go, Stormfly! Now!"

She didn't need to be told twice; neither did Hookfang. Both dragons took off and spiralled up out of range. Far below, she could hear Eret yelling after them, something about Drago Bludvist coming for their dragons. Heart racing, she rubbed circles onto Stormfly's shoulder until they both calmed down.

"Great. This is just perfect" Snotlout grumbled, "We finally find some hunters who know about this Drago Bludvist guy, and you let them chase us off!"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Snotlout, would you relax? I have a plan. I know exactly how we're going to find out where Drago Bludvist and his army is…"

/

 _A month earlier_

Ever since Hiccup had fallen back asleep, after crying out the last of his strength, Toothless had maintained his vigil. He lay still so as not to disturb his other half, but his eyes were open and trained on the pulley-cage he could just make out beyond the bars of the cage they were trapped inside. His keen sense of hearing was tuned to the sound of monsters approaching, and the purr thrumming through his chest to soothe his dear one could swiftly become a growl.

In the cage across from them, the young Fire-Scale stirred. Blaze raised his head, eyes glinting in the moonlight that shafted down through grates too narrow to even push one's muzzle through. *Toothless? Why are you awake?*

*I'm guarding Hiccup. Why are _you_ awake?* the black dragon asked, not unkindly. Blaze had been rather wary of him ever since they had been forced to fight, and Toothless didn't want him to feel even more uneasy.

*I can't sleep* Blaze whimpered, *I'm scared. I thought we were going to escape, but we didn't. Your human said we would! He lied to us!*

Toothless had to bite back a snarl. *Hiccup did not lie. I don't why the monsters knew, but Hiccup would never tell them. He was punished for it, severely.*

*But what do we do now?* Blaze questioned plaintively. *Are we going to try and escape again?*

Toothless considered it. He suspected that Hiccup would be too afraid to risk being raped again – and Toothless did not blame him – to come up with another escape plan, or even try the same one twice. After all, it might work if they took the monsters by surprise. He pawed over the idea, but then it occurred to him that the monsters were probably going to be more suspicious than ever.

The monsters couldn't keep their guard up forever, though. Sooner or later they would let it down, and a chance to escape would come. Toothless was sure of it. *Eventually* he said aloud, at last. *For now, we must be patient, and wait.*

*But I don't want to wait!* Blaze whined, *I want to go home!*

*And you will* Toothless insisted, *Just not yet. We're dragons, Blaze; we live for centuries. We have time. We can wait. One day, when the monsters aren't looking and the chance flies past, we'll pounce on it, and we'll be away faster than a Quick-Sting. I don't know when, or how, but we will get out of here.*

He sounded so confident – perhaps moreso than he felt – that Blaze believed him. *Well, if you're sure…I hope the chance comes soon* he moaned longingly, curling up to try and get to sleep. Toothless sighed. _Me too, youngling. Me too._

/

Hiccup was used to waking at dawn by now, but this time he awoke even earlier; jerked into wakefulness by the nightmare reliving the worst night of his life. Disoriented and still half-asleep, he struggled weakly against the _crush of the monster's bodies tearing away his clothes, rough hands groping at him, touching him, forcing themselves into his mouth and his –_

*It's okay! Hiccup, it's okay* Toothless insisted, raising his paw and wing so that Hiccup no longer felt trapped. His other half squirmed and tried to roll over, crawl away, but the movement sent pain shooting through his legs and spine. He cried out and clutched blindly at Toothless' scales, chest heaving, heart thudding quick like the fluttering wings of a tiny Glow-Hide.

*I'm here. It's okay, I'm here, I've got you. Just breathe. Deep breaths* Toothless crooned encouragingly, forcing himself to breathe deep and slow in demonstration. Hiccup panted and shook all over. "T-Toothless…" he stuttered, whimpering. Toothless rocked him carefully in his paws and crooned to him. *I'm here. Just breathe, love. You're okay. It was only a nightmare.*

Hiccup had had nightmares before, ever since they were trapped here, but they'd never frightened him as much as this. Hiccup tried to match his breaths to his other half's, drawing in deep lungfuls and letting them out slowly. He rubbed his hands over every bit of scaly skin he could reach, driving it through his senses that he was being held by Toothless, not surrounded by monsters.

When he finally calmed down, Toothless carefully eased him out of the protective cocoon of his wings. He curled around Hiccup, using his tail as a makeshift pillow, and gazed down at him. Hiccup's face was flushed, and there were still faint tear marks running down his cheeks. *Hello* cooed Toothless, pupils so wide in adoration the green of his irises was barely visible.

Despite everything, Hiccup managed a tiny, weak smile. "Hey" he murmured. Toothless nuzzled him again. The female humans – they were not monsters, he'd learned from Hiccup, in a way they were slaves too – had tried to clean his other half, but he could still pick out the _wrong_ scents of the monsters who had violated Hiccup. Worse still, they had washed away his own marks.

He wanted to replace them; to cover Hiccup in his scent and claim him. He was on the verge of doing so when he paused, tongue poking out of his mouth. *Can I?* he asked, glancing sideways at Hiccup, who loved him for it. "Go on" he gave permission, tugging the blanket down off his torso. Toothless ducked his head to tenderly swipe a soft tongue over Hiccup's heart and scar and brand.

Hiccup dozed, letting himself be groomed like a hatchling, undisturbed by the claws and jaws so close to his bare skin. The idea that Toothless would hurt him, even by mistake, was laughable. Even if he did, how could Hiccup resent him? Toothless was a dragon. Neither of them were bloodthirsty, but Hiccup was glad that Toothless killed the monsters who raped him. They had deserved it.

Only now did he remember something else about Toothless' rampage. "…Glow…" he mumbled. Toothless paused. *Say again?*

"Last night…you were glowing. Your spines were blue. At least…I think they were" Hiccup explained. It was all sort of fuzzy and he wasn't sure what he'd actually seen. He'd had other things on his mind at the time…

Toothless shuffled his paws awkwardly. *I thought I saw a blue glow too* he confessed, *and I felt…really hot. Like I'd set myself on fire like a Fire-Scale. I don't know what it was…it's never happened before.* They both pondered the strangeness of it. If they had both seen something, perhaps it was not imagined, but then what could it be?

"Fury's Fire" murmured Hiccup. Toothless' ear-flaps twitched and he grunted curiously. "We should call it that…whatever it is. The blue glow. Y'know, cos you're a Night Fury…" he trailed off, seeing Toothless' eyes gleam with amusement. "What?" he huffed, "It's a better name than 'weird blue glow'!"

*True* the dragon conceded, returning his attention to scent-marking Hiccup. The young man didn't complain about the saliva not washing off, or even that Toothless was just making him smell of fish (to humans, anyway). At this point the odour of raw fish was embedded into his clothing and he'd gotten so used to it, he barely smelled it anymore.

He sighed. Was this going to be his life now? To sleep in a cage, eat scraps, having to toil from dawn to dusk. It had only been a month. What would they reduce him to after a year? _I have Toothless, and that's enough_ he told himself firmly. At least he had someone here who cared for him. Hiccup felt so homesick his heart ached. _I just have to get through one day at a time._

He might have dozed off again, but he was woken by the familiar and dreaded sound of the pulley-cage rattling down. Toothless' gentle croons and purrs morphed into a low, dangerous growl. He moved to stand between Hiccup and the cage door, bracing himself and sweeping his tail around to bat away any darts. The cage thumped down. Footsteps approached.

The monster that stepped up to the bars held a bundle in his hands. He shoved it through the hatch; it landed and collapsed into a familiar dirt-brown tunic and trousers, and a wooden peg. "Time to get dressed, thrall" said Ugly. He took a blowpipe slung across his back and poked it between the bars.

"One wrong move, dragon, and you go night-night" he threatened Toothless, who was snarling at the blowpipe. Behind him, Hiccup tried to move again. It hurt. Wincing, he managed to drag himself into a sitting position. Even that simple act left him out of breath. "Come on, you little whelp, we don't got all day" grumbled Ugly, "you ain't getting special treatment just cos you got screwed last night."

Hiccup cringed. His shoulders hunched and he burned with shame. They all knew. "Toothless" he said hoarsely, "the clothes…"

Without taking his eyes off of the blowpipe, or letting up on his growl, Toothless responded *Just stay behind me. You're too hurt; you can barely move!*

"I'm sorry…I have to…"

*No! I'm not gonna fail again; I'm going to protect you if it kills me!* Toothless insisted. Hiccup could hear a whine creeping under his growl. *…Not for real. You know what I mean.*

Hiccup wished he could stay with Toothless…but whether they liked it or not, the monsters had power over them. They would knock Toothless out again and hurt him if he didn't obey. "Please, bud. I don't want to get in more trouble. There's no other way. I'm sorry." He didn't want to go, but he had no choice.

The dragon whined. *Don't go. I can protect you. I have to! I can't…I can't fail again* he whimpered, ear-flaps pinned back. Ugly didn't know what he was saying, of course, and misinterpreted Toothless' signals. "Ha! What's the matter, dragon? Scared of a little dart?" he mocked. Toothless snarled at him. *I am not scared!* he roared, furious. Ugly made to shoot a dart at him.

"Stop!" Hiccup cried out, still half-hidden behind Toothless. "Can you give us a minute? Please" he begged.

"Ugh, _fine_. One minute" Ugly warned, pulling back, muttering to himself about how Hiccup was wasting everyone's time playing nanny to a dragon.

Hiccup dragged himself to kneel beside Toothless, who kept his ears turned to the cage door even as he looked at Hiccup with large, sad eyes. *Hiccup, please* he whimpered, *Don't go. Just this once…don't leave me* he begged. Every time Hiccup was taken away from him, it hurt like ice inside.

"Oh, Toothless" murmured Hiccup, leaning in to press his forehead against the dragons'. "I know, bud. I don't want to leave you either…but they won't let me stay. It'll just make things worse if we fight." He knew how far he had fallen. When they'd first been captured, he'd been determined to resist the hunters attempts to break him. Now, after a mere month of drudgery and cruelty, he was tired and worn down by the effort. "I'm sorry, Toothless. I'm so sorry."

*…I can't protect you* Toothless realised, moaning _regret_ and _shame._

"You can" Hiccup whispered, clutching at his head, "just…not by fighting. We…we just have to get through one day at a time, okay? Please. I need the clothes…it's cold." He shivered. Toothless sighed mournfully, and used his tail to sweep the pile closer, spreading his wings to give Hiccup some cover.

Ugly came stomping back. "Time's up. You ready yet?" he demanded.

"Just getting dressed" Hiccup replied, pulling on the tunic. Ugly swore and thumped his fist impatiently against the bars of the cage. Hiccup flinched as if the blow had struck him instead. He struggled into the rest of the clothes, and used Toothless as a support to heave himself to his feet. It hurt to move. He panted and tried to take a step forward, only to stumble and cry out.

Of course Toothless caught him, and he felt a rush of strength flood his body through the heart bind. "Thanks, bud" he whispered, giving the dragon one more grateful stroke. Then he straightened and moved towards the cage door. "I'm ready…sir."

"Hmph. Took you long enough" Ugly grumbled as he unlocked the door. Hiccup stepped out and immediately cringed as if expecting to be struck, but instead the hunter just barked at him to hurry up. He followed Ugly into the pulley-cage and began heaving them up to the galley. _Just get through one day at a time._

/

Hiccup had to bring Hauke breakfast, which meant facing the hunters. They jeered and made lewd gestures at him; he forced himself to ignore them, keeping his head down and repeating the mantra _one day at a time._ It was still a relief to get out of the mess hall with a covered plate and tankard.

Ugly knocked on the door to Hauke's cabin, since Hiccup's hands were full. After a moment the man called, "Come in." When Hiccup stepped over the rim of the door, he saw that Hauke was already dressed and seated at the table. What sucked about being watched every bloody minute was that he never got a chance to spit in Hauke's food, or upend the plate over his stupid head…

"Good morning, master" he felt himself say. It made him feel sick. He put the plate and the tankard into depressions in the table, made so that they didn't move about too much with the rocking of the ship. Then he retreated to stand by the far wall and wait for Hauke to finish, folding his arms defensively and staring at the floor. He swayed with the deck, barely noticing it anymore.

When Hauke was almost done, he looked up from a swig of ale and commented, "You should know that the Night Fury is to be denied food for three weeks, starting now."

Hiccup looked up at him in shock. "What?! That's not fair!"

"It is fair. The dragon deserves far worse."

"But he hasn't done anything!"

"Not done anything? That dragon rampaged through the ship, destroyed everything in its path, slaughtered three of my men" –

Something in Hiccup snapped. "He killed them because they raped me! And you _let_ them! What, because I tried to escape? Of course I tried to escape, why the heck wouldn't I? I hate it here! I hate you! I don't want to be here, nobody wants to be enslaved!" he yelled, storming towards Hauke. By the time his rant was finished he was looming over the table, hands clenched into fists.

Hauke stood up and grabbed him by the tunic. His eyes were dark and dangerous. "I see we still have a lot of insolence to beat out of you."

Hiccup struggled and considered spitting in his face. "I promised not to try and escape. I didn't say anything about being your blindly obedient puppet-!"

Quicker than thought, Hauke was holding his throat with one hand and a knife to his eye with the other. "Blindly, you say? That can be arranged" he growled, pressing the flat of the blade against Hiccup's eyelid so his pupil flashed black. Hiccup froze. He didn't doubt that Hauke actually would cut out his eyeball as a cruel and unusual punishment. Slowly, he released his grip on Hauke's wrist.

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry, master. Please, don't…" Before he could finish, Hauke lowered the knife and shoved him away. Hiccup staggered back. "Please, master…don't starve Toothless. He was just trying to save me. Punish me instead" he begged.

"Dragons can last a month or more without food; you wouldn't. This punishment is merciful. The usual penalty for murder is to be keel hauled; would you rather we did that to the Night Fury, or yourself, instead?"

Hiccup shivered at the mere thought. "No, master" he replied.

Sitting back down, Hauke declared, "The Night Fury will not be fed for three weeks, one week for every man he killed. That is final. And if you behave yourself, I might consider letting the dragon's punishment end early. But if you cause any more trouble, or if you sneak the dragon even a scrap of food…" he stabbed the knife down into a piece of white fish flesh. Hiccup flinched.

/

Onarr was already gutting the fish when Hiccup returned. He lowered himself onto a stool and picked up a filleting knife in his left hand. Under the cover of the usual bustle of the galley, without looking up from the fish he muttered, "I hope you're happy."

The other man didn't need to ask what he meant. "I had no choice" he retorted.

"You could have come with us."

"I might not have. I did what I had to."

"You betrayed me!" Hiccup snapped, glaring at him. "Damn it, Onarr. I was trying to _help_ you."

"You should stop trying" Onarr said coldly. "You said it yourself – if I could get out on deck, you'd take me with you. _If._ Admit it; if I hadn't been there, you'd have just flown off without me, wouldn't you?"

"We would have come back for you" Hiccup tried to insist. "You didn't even want to _try_. You just wanna drag me down with you, make me miserable like" –

"Like me? Misery is better than pain. You think I want you to suffer? You were happy enough to leave me to be raped, _again_ , or flogged, or have one of my eyes gouged out. Do you have any idea what Hauke would have done to me, if you had gotten away with all of the dragons?" Onarr demanded, glaring.

Hiccup briefly felt guilty; he had, in truth, not considered what might happen to the man if they managed to escape but Onarr didn't. "That wouldn't have happened if you'd tried to come with us" he protested, "The plan would have worked if it wasn't for you!"

Onarr shook his head. "There's no escaping Hauke" he declared fatalistically, "I learned that the hard way. I tried to warn you, but you just had to" –

"Of course I had to! I had to try, I promised the dragons; and unlike you, I have people who care about me to go back to."

"Then perhaps you should have thought of that before you left them in the first place" Onarr retorted. Hiccup burned with guilt and rage and self-loathing. _All my fault. It's all my fault._ It wasn't in his nature to hold a grudge, but all Hiccup could think was that Onarr knew how much he'd suffer if the escape plan failed, and sold him out just to save his own skin. _All_ his _fault. I'll never forgive him._

/

When he finally got back to Toothless that night, Hiccup slumped against his other half with tears in his eyes. *It's not your fault* Toothless crooned, feeling his beloved's guilt over getting him starved. What worried him most was not starving; dragons could sleep and save their strength in times of hardship. But that meant leaving Hiccup alone. *I love you, Hiccup. No matter what.*

Hiccup snuggled closer. "I know, bud. I love you too." He didn't know that Toothless would sleep, and the dragon didn't have the heart to tell him. Not right now. Instead he suggested, *I think we should form a mental bond. That way I can be with you even when I'm not…with you. You know what I mean.*

"What do we need to do?" Hiccup asked at once.

*I've asked the other dragons; none of them are heart bound, but they know dragons who are. They said we're supposed to breathe together, focus on the heart bind, and sort of…fall into it? Or let it pull us in…* Toothless snorted in frustration. *It's hard to explain. I think we need to intend to merge our minds.*

"Merge?" Hiccup asked doubtfully, "Wouldn't that mean we'd be reading each other's minds all the time?"

*No; maybe that was the wrong word. From what I hear, it's more like…when we fly, we have two different bodies, but we still become one* Toothless tried to describe it. They both gave a longing sigh at the thought of flying together. *We'd be able to project thoughts to each other; we could think-speak in secret, even share dreams.* That was the part he wanted to figure out the most.

"Okay. Let's try it" Hiccup said gamely. Resting against Toothless' flank, he closed his eyes and felt the dragon breathing, began to breathe with him. He concentrated on the warm gentle pressure of the heart bind in his chest, imagining himself sinking into it, thinking of merging his mind with Toothless…

"Hiccup?"

"Oh, what now?" he moaned, exasperated. Toothless snarled at the interrupter, only to stop when he saw who it was. "What are you doing down here?"

Adulfr, on the other side of the bars, fidgeted awkwardly. "I'm bored" he said.

Hiccup's eyes narrowed. "I'm tired. Adulfr, go back to bed."

"You can't talk to me like that!"

"Alright. Adulfr, sir, please go back to bed" Hiccup said sarcastically.

"But I wanted to" –

"You know what I want to do?" Hiccup snapped, losing his already frayed patience. "I want to see my dad again. I want to go flying with Toothless and our friends. _I want to go home_ " he said desperately. "But most of all, I want to sleep. You shouldn't be here, Adulfr" he declared, turning his back. "You're the son of a chief, you shouldn't be talking to a thrall."

There was an indignant silence from behind him, and then… "Fine. Have it your way, _thrall._ I was going to ask you about the dragons you've trained, but like you say, I shouldn't be talking to the likes of you" Adulfr sneered. Then he left. When he was gone, Hiccup buried his head in his hands. _What have I done?_


	11. Chapter 11 - The Darkest Time

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

A/N: Trigger warnings for self-harm and thoughts of suicide.

Chapter Eleven – The Darkest Time

Three weeks without food. Even though all he had to eat was chum, Toothless wasn't looking forward to this so-called punishment. He wasn't stupid. Hauke could have found some other way to punish him for killing those monsters; it would have undoubtedly been painful, but then it would have been over. This, starving him, was just a way to make him and Hiccup suffer more.

Not that Hiccup would starve; he wouldn't even feel Toothless' hunger. The problem was that Toothless knew he would slip into a most dreaded state; the death-sleep. A deep, deep slumber, when his heart and breathing would slow, he wouldn't move, and even his heart-fires would cool. He would seem to have died, and if he stayed that way for too long, he might truly…

Toothless didn't want to leave Hiccup. Not because of death; if he did pass away then Hiccup would come with him. But the thought of not being there for his other half, falling asleep and not waking up until he was fed again, disturbed him greatly. The only way Toothless could think of to not abandon him completely was if he and Hiccup forged a bond of thoughts as well as emotions.

This proved to be easier said than done. For the first four days, Hiccup and Toothless attempted to connect their minds. No matter how hard he tried, Hiccup just couldn't seem to reach through the heart bind. With little else to do, Toothless would try for hours on end to reach Hiccup, to no avail. He suspected that all Hiccup had gone through had made his mind close off, to protect itself.

Hiccup knew that Toothless would likely fall into this death-like sleep. Toothless explained it to him so he wouldn't panic if one morning he found the dragon would not wake up. Hiccup wasn't looking forward to the ordeal either.

But really, what _did_ he have to look forward to? Less and less, it seemed. When they were first captured, Hiccup had looked forward to escaping. Now that hope had been crushed, he looked forward to seeing Toothless again each night _._ He knew that Toothless couldn't help it; the death-sleep wasn't something dragons chose to do; but he would miss having his dearest one nuzzle and purr over him when they were reunited. It always felt nice to…to be loved.

Perhaps if Hauke had starved Toothless earlier, then Hiccup would have been more willing to defy him. He'd have snuck his friend scraps of food; and the temptation was there, but Hiccup was afraid. The monsters watched him, they were always watching, and if they ever found out he'd broken the rule and fed Toothless, he was sure to be severely punished. He didn't want to be, not again.

He had a choice to make. Risk more suffering by defying the monsters and feeding Toothless, or obey and hope that the twenty one days went by swiftly. Hiccup hated that he had to even consider letting Toothless starve. He hated Hauke and the monsters for putting them in this terrible position. He hated Onarr for denying them a chance to escape it. Most of all, he hated himself.

The only one he didn't hate was Toothless (well, and the other dragons, of course), and it was so, so hard to choose. In the end, his dragon chose for him; telling him not to risk getting punished for Toothless' sake. *I'll be okay* he tried to reassure Hiccup, *I'll just be asleep. Just…give me water, I'll still be able to swallow.* He'd heard of dragons falling into the death-sleep and having to be made to drink by their flock-mates to keep them alive.

Hiccup was determined to look after Toothless, and asked his other half to rest with his head close to the bars so Hiccup could reach him easily from outside. That way he'd be able to pour water straight into the dragon's mouth even whilst he slept. If protecting Toothless and himself from the monsters meant obeying them, then…then so be it. He'd do anything for his other half.

/

It was still unnerving to wake on the morning of the third day, and realise that Toothless had fallen into the death-sleep. He was unnaturally still, and when Hiccup tried to listen to his heartbeat, it was slow and sluggish. When he was in the galley, Hiccup asked one of the cooks for a cup or something he could use to give his dragon water. She took pity on him and gave him a spare small bowl.

He and Onarr still had seven other dragons to feed. When he had finished feeding all the dragons on his side, Hiccup knelt in front of the bars to their cage and stuck his hand through to stroke Toothless' crown. "You're not supposed to feed him" Onarr warned. Hiccup wasn't speaking to Onarr, and Adulfr wasn't speaking to him. He had a feeling Hauke had told the other thrall to spy on him, because there wasn't a dragon hunter following him around anymore.

Fortunately, there was water left in the trough. Hiccup scooped some up into the bowl, and carefully prised Toothless' mouth open. He poured the water down Toothless' throat and hoped he didn't choke. Much to his relief, the dragon's swallowing reflex kicked in and he gulped the water down. Much to his disappointment, Toothless remained fast asleep. "It's okay, bud. You just rest."

Giving Toothless water became part of the routine. It was the same thing every day, had been for five weeks now. It felt as if this was the way things had always been and always would be. Hiccup still tried to get past this block in his mind and connect with Toothless…but all he managed to do was blank out, feeling his body move but not quite being in it. Still, these trances were almost preferable.

Hiccup felt empty and numb, more so with each passing day. He missed Toothless so much it hurt; his best friend's body was still there, but in all other respects he was gone. Even the heart bind felt dulled. His emotions were all over the place; sometimes when he blanked out, he'd feel tears running down his face, crying out of nowhere. When he had to 'train' the other dragons, he'd be irritable and impatient, even angry; lashing out at victims who didn't deserve it because he couldn't fight back against the monsters who did.

When he realised how he was treating them, Hiccup felt terrible. He begged their forgiveness, berating himself for being so mean. It wasn't their fault; it was all him, and he hated himself for it. He didn't help them escape; he didn't know why they bothered letting him live when they could just kill him. But he couldn't even ask them why, because he never got to spend time alone with them.

He was so _lonely_. Toothless had been his only true friend on this wretched ship; now he had no-one. Hiccup had tried to apologise to Adulfr, but the youth wouldn't hear it. He had no-one but himself to blame for their failure to escape, but it hurt less to blame Onarr, and they weren't speaking to each other.

Hiccup only found relief when he retreated into his own mind, when life felt unreal, but it was bittersweet, because when he was aware he would realise all over again how low he had sunk. The ale he drank tasted bitter, but it was all he had. More and more, he wasn't hungry, but then he'd remember that Toothless was starving because of him and force himself to eat it all, because how could he be so ungrateful?

Toothless was growing weaker, and so was he. Hiccup could barely get to sleep, especially as the warmth of Toothless' heart-fire banked and leeched away. He'd lie awake for hours, missing his other half, missing his friends and family, missing his home. A pall of exhaustion and despair hung over him every waking moment, and his eyes were dulled.

Eight days after Toothless was lost to the death-sleep…something frightening happened. Hiccup was gutting fish that morning, like _always,_ when it occurred to him…as if for the first time…how sharp the filleting knife was. How close it was…to…his wrist. His veins. He could just…it would be so easy. One quick slash, and –

Hiccup nearly dropped the knife in his shock. What was wrong with him? To be so tempted by a quick death unnerved him…because it made sense. But there were too many people around; they'd save his life when he didn't want them to, and Hauke would find out, and he'd be punished for damaging Hauke's property. That's all he was now. Not a person, just _property._

Later, when he was swabbing the deck…Hiccup realised how simple it would be to run to the side, heave himself over it and drop into the ice cold embrace of the ocean. He'd sink down and down, breathe out and let the water flood in, let the blackness surround him… "OI!" Hiccup jumped out of his skin at the hunter's shout. "Sorry, sir" he apologised reflexively, getting back to the chore at hand.

And yet, when he was in the makeshift fighting ring, he thought…if he timed it right, he could get skewered through the heart by one of Topaz' spines, or have his neck and head crushed beneath Libon's heavy claws… "No!" he cried out at the terrible thoughts in his mind. Both dragons stopped baiting each other and turned to stare at him. Hiccup cringed, feeling foolish to have shouted aloud.

"What's the matter?" Hauke demanded, scowling.

"I'm sorry, master. I…I don't feel so good" Hiccup confessed. It wasn't a lie; he was sick. He must be, in the head, to be having these thoughts.

Hauke rolled his eyes impatiently. "Tell the dragons to keep fighting and go to the sick bay" he ordered. Hiccup obeyed. The surgeon asked what was wrong with him. Hiccup had no intention of telling the man what was really going on, so he made out he was seasick. The surgeon advised him to stay below deck where he wouldn't feel the rocking of the ship in the swell.

In an effort to stave off the loneliness, Hiccup still talked to Toothless each night when he couldn't sleep, part of him hoping that somehow, the dragon could still hear him. "I don't know what's wrong with me, bud" he murmured sadly as he gave Toothless a drink. "All day I've been wanting to…I'm so sick of this, I just want to…to…!" He choked back a scream of frustration and despair. "Why did this have to happen? Why did I have to go to Myrkr? Why did Hauke have to take us away? Why did I have to lose _everything_?!"

He hurled the bowl in his hands at the bars of the cage; it struck them and shattered into pieces. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no." Hiccup panicked. He was surely going to be punished for breaking it. Or…or maybe he could hide the pieces and pretend he'd lost it. Yes. That might work. He reached out to pick the largest piece up, only to wince and pull his hand back. That piece was really…sharp.

Hiccup paused. Stared at the sharp edge. He reached out and carefully picked it up in his left hand. Slowly, Hiccup pressed the tip of his finger against the edge. It drew blood. He sucked on his finger and wondered. _Why not?_ A voice in his head seemed to whisper. He had nothing left to lose. Everyone who would miss him was already in mourning. By the time _they_ found him, he'd be gone.

Moving as if in a trance, Hiccup returned to Toothless' side and leaned against the dragon's shoulder. He tugged down his right sleeve, put the sharp edge to his bared wrist. All he had to do was slice it sideways, and it would all be over. "Come on" he whispered, "Just do it. Quick and simple." He swallowed hard and shut his eyes tight. "I won't suffer anymore. I'll still have Toothless…"

Hiccup's eyes snapped open. Why not? That was why. If he killed himself, he'd also be killing Toothless. There was no way that Hiccup could bring himself to end the life of the most perfect, precious creature in the world. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He couldn't even end his own miserable life without killing his best friend. Just because he wanted to die, it didn't mean his other half did.

The sharp piece was still cutting into his skin. It hurt…but strangely, the pain felt…good. How could that be? Hiccup was hurt enough by the monsters, he shouldn't want to feel more pain…but maybe he deserved to. Besides, it would be under his control. A way to keep his sanity even as everything else was eroded away. Maybe Toothless would feel the pain. Maybe he'd wake up and take care of him again.

Hiccup turned his arm over, and drew in a deep breath. He let it out in a hiss as he drew the sharp edge quickly over his forearm, making a shallow cut. Blood trickled down his arm and dripped onto the floor. Instinctively he dropped the sharp piece and clapped his hand over the wound to stem it.

Hiccup focused on the sharp, hot pain. It distracted him from the numbness in his chest and his mind; at least he was feeling _something_. Toothless didn't so much as twitch or whimper. He probably couldn't feel anything in the death-sleep. A tiny part of Hiccup was disappointed, but mostly he was glad that he could cause himself pain without also hurting his beloved one.

It had been a long day, and he was tired…The cut became a little _too_ painful; Hiccup was not a masochist, after all. He eased Toothless' mouth open and wiped some of the dragon's saliva onto the cut to soothe it. When the cut began to scab over, Hiccup looked over at the far wall. He'd been keeping track of the days he'd been enslaved with a piece of chalk he'd scrounged. There were ten nights left, including this one, before Toothless would be fed again. _Ten nights._ He looked down at the cut on his arm. "One."

/

Hiccup hid the broken pieces beneath his blanket and told the cook who had given him the bowl that he'd lost it. When she asked him how, he couldn't think of an answer; he always had been a terrible liar. He confessed that he'd broken it and apologised, begging her not to tell Hauke. She relented and gave him another one, but sternly told him not to break this one too. He promised not to.

He cut again the next night. It scared him that he was so willing to hurt himself, but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to stop. The cuts on his right arm were counting down the nights until Toothless would come back. One cut wasn't enough; his right arm and his shins were soon littered with them. He was careful to only cut where the scabs and scars would be hidden by his clothes.

One night, after a particularly long day, Hiccup was exhausted. He was too tired to cut much, but he still felt the need to make just one. The seventh cut of his ten-cut countdown. He'd already lain down; he cut and grit his teeth against the pain, watching his blood well from it with a sort of vague, detached interest. His eyelids fluttered. Just a bit more…a little longer…and he'd clean it up…

/

Adulfr couldn't get to sleep. He tossed and turned in his bunk, but to no avail. He couldn't stop thinking about how he still wanted to talk to Hiccup, ask him about the dragons he'd conquered…trained…and how he did it. Part of him was still cross that Hiccup had rejected him; but he'd seen Hiccup over the last few days, and the man was clearly suffering from melancholia. He'd seen it before.

Hiccup _had_ tried to apologise, and he _was_ still the most interesting person aboard ship. More interesting than the rest of the riff-raff, anyway. Finally Adulfr gave up, and got out of bed. He'd sneak down to Hiccup's cell and demand that the man talk to him, never mind if he was too tired! He ought to consider himself lucky that Adulfr was even bothering to speak to him.

With an oil lamp in hand, Adulfr made his way down to the lowest deck. He approached the bars of Hiccup's cell, raising the lamp to illuminate the sleeping dragon and man. "Hiccup. Psst, Hiccup!" he whispered as loudly as he dared, "Wake up!" The young man didn't move. Adulfr moved to unlock the cage door with a key he'd snatched. When the light shifted, something caught his eye.

He raised it again and looked harder at Hiccup. There was a sluggishly bleeding cut on his arm, but it must have nicked a vein, because it was still flowing. Blood trickled from his arm onto the deck, there was a bloodied piece of ceramic next to his fingertips, and his skin was deathly pale. Adulfr swore and scrambled to unlock the cage. He dropped down beside Hiccup and put a hand to his chest.

He was still breathing. His heart was beating, but erratically. "Come on, Hiccup, wake up" Adulfr said urgently, lightly slapping Hiccup's cheek to try and rouse him. Hiccup groaned slightly, but stayed unconscious. Adulfr tried to remember what he ought to do. There'd always been someone else to do this stuff! He had to staunch the wound, of course. He looked around for something to use.

Spotting the blanket, he grabbed it and tore off a strip, binding it around the cut in a makeshift tourniquet. Tossing the blanket aside, Adulfr seized the oil lamp and stood up. "I'll be right back" he declared, hoping Hiccup would stay alive.

Adulfr went straight to the sick bay; there was a small cabin in one corner where the surgeon slept. He wasted no time in going in and clapping a hand over the man's mouth and nose. The surgeon jerked awake at once. "Shh" Adulfr warned, before removing his hand. Coughing, the surgeon sat up in bed.

"Master Adulfr? What is wrong…" he yawned, "and can it wait till morning?"

"No, it can't. Hiccup's dying."

"What?"

"He was cut and he's been bleeding for who knows how long. He's still alive but you need to help, I don't know what I'm doing!"

"Yes…yes, of course. I'm coming."

The surgeon gathered what he'd need and they returned to the cages. "I see what you mean" the surgeon grimaced when he saw his late-night patient. "By Thor; it's not just one cut, it's seven" he realised as he inspected the wound. Adulfr looked closer and saw the six thin white scars lined up across Hiccup's arm. One of them was scored across another four, like a tally mark.

He picked up the piece of bloodied ceramic. _He did this to himself_ Adulfr realised. The notion unsettled him. He knew that Hiccup was miserable…but he was a thrall, it wasn't supposed to be all fun and games. To find out that Hiccup had been so despairing that he caused himself pain was oddly chilling.

The surgeon uncorked a vial of the Night Fury's saliva that he'd been experimenting with. He'd mixed the sticky spit into a sort of gel, which he applied to the wound, and tied a fresh tourniquet with a bandage instead of a strip of tattered wool. "Is he going to be alright?" Adulfr demanded.

"Yes; the wound has already stopped bleeding. He just needs to rest. I don't know what he was thinking, cutting himself…everyone knows the cure for seasickness isn't blood-letting" the surgeon tsked, shaking his head.

 _He's melancholic, you idiot._ "Thank you for coming down here so late."

"No problem at all, I – agh!" The surgeon yelped as Adulfr grabbed him by the collar and glared fiercely at him.

"And if you tell anyone you and I were down here, or that Hiccup's been cutting himself, I will put that amputation saw you have to really good use."

"…My lips are sealed."

They cleared up the evidence and left, Adulfr locking the cage behind him. No-one but Hiccup would ever know anyone was there.

/

Toothless was frantic. For twelve days now he'd been trapped in his own mind, in the death-sleep, forced to abandon the one he loved most. Unbeknownst to Hiccup, even though Toothless' emotions weren't affecting him, _his_ were affecting Toothless. He felt his other half's misery and loneliness and anger and sorrow. It burned him up inside that there was nothing he could do to help.

He felt it when Hiccup was hurt, every night. His body just wouldn't react, not even if the threat was so great it could kill him. Like now. Hiccup was dying, he could feel it, _they_ were dying. Toothless could not let his beloved one die. He roared in frustration; he should be waking up! His other half needed him!

"Toothless?"

The dragon whirled. Standing behind him was _Hiccup_ , not as he was now but as he'd been. The small, skinny fledgling he had first met and befriended and shared the sky with. Only this younger Hiccup was dressed in the slave-clothes his older self had to wear, and Toothless knew that this was _his_ Hiccup, not a memory or a nightmare come to torment him. *Hiccup!* he roared in delight.

Before they knew it, Toothless had bowled Hiccup over and was licking him, whimpering. *Love you love you love you love you love you!*

"I love you too! Oh, Toothless, I missed you so much" Hiccup cried, wrapping fragile arms around the dragons head and clinging tight. Toothless purred.

*I missed you too. I hated being stuck here in my own head; but I could hear you, Hiccup. I could still feel what you felt…what's wrong?* he whined, feeling Hiccup let go and shuffle away from him. The boy stared at him in something close to horror, eyes wide.

"You could feel it? I didn't…I thought…I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was hurting you too!"

*You mean when they hurt you? It's okay, it's not your fault…* Toothless trailed off when Hiccup shook his head. The sky darkened to echo his growing distress. "It wasn't the monsters." He tugged down his sleeves, rolled up his his trousers. He showed Toothless all the cuts on his body. "I did this."

Toothless stared at the cuts, trying to grasp what Hiccup was telling him. "I felt empty" Hiccup sniffled, "I know it was wrong, but I couldn't stop…I wanted t-to…to _die_ " he confessed. Toothless moved to comfort him, but Hiccup's next words froze him in his tracks. "You shouldn't have heart bound to me."

*What?* Toothless wilted. He'd been afraid of this, that Hiccup would –

"I don't blame you" Hiccup added hastily, lest his other half get the wrong idea. "But I…I worked it out. I was _supposed_ to die then. Who am I kidding? I should've just died as a baby or in a raid…the gods are angry that I cheated death and they're punishing me for it, but they shouldn't be punishing you, too! You shouldn't have tied your life to mine; someone so…worthless… _useless…_ "

Hiccup burst into tears. Toothless marched over and, before Hiccup could protest, scooped the boy up in his forepaws and wings. He sat back on his haunches and cradled his smaller self against his chest, tucking his head down to lick at the scars on his arms and rocking him. Hiccup couldn't help but nestle into the embrace, after being starved of affection for so long.

*Hiccup, listen to me* Toothless insisted, peering down at his boy's tearful face. He licked away the tears and said, *None of that is true. You're not worthless. You're worth _everything_ to me. You're not useless. Look at what you've done! It was your plan that destroyed the mad Queen. You freed my whole flock from her. You brought us and your tribe together in peace; that's never been done before! And that's nothing compared to what you've done for me.*

"Done for you? What about everything I've done _to_ you? I shot you down! I…was gonna…" He couldn't bring himself to say it, and pressed his hand to Toothless' chest to feel his heartbeat thumping steady and strong.

*But you didn't. You spared me. Hiccup, you _saved_ me. I would have starved to death in this cove if you hadn't come with food.*

"But – no – I'm the reason you were stuck in the cove to begin with! You lost your flight because of me. I _maimed_ you for life."

*By mistake. You fixed it, you gave me my flight back; with the bonus of the best flying companion I could ask for* Toothless crooned with an affectionate nuzzle. *And so much more than that. You gave me a name, a home, a family; everything that she took away from me.*

Hiccup struggled to think of something, anything, to convince Toothless he wasn't worthy of all this love and praise. "I'm the one who got us enslaved. I went to Myrkr alone just because I was too hung up on my own problems to think about the consequences" he insisted. It was all his fault. He deserved it.

* _We_ went to Myrkr alone. We both made mistakes, but that doesn't mean we deserved this. You weren't meant to die then, Hiccup. Think about it. If you were 'supposed' to die, then why did the heart bind work?*

He hadn't thought of that. "I'm selfish" he tried to insist, resolve wavering.

*So am I* Toothless shrugged, *I heart bound to you to keep you with me.*

"It's not the same. You were trying to save me! You're not selfish."

*I was. Look* said Toothless, raising his head. Hiccup followed his gaze and flinched, for instead of the cove lake, he saw the Red Death's nest. *Don't be scared. It's just a memory. My memory* explained Toothless. Hiccup realised then that it was from the same angle as when his dragon had first taken him and Astrid to the Nest. He was seeing the event from Toothless' point of view.

*You know that the mad Queen devoured any subject who didn't give a great enough tribute* Toothless went on, as they watched that poor Gronckle meet an untimely end. The view flickered and shifted to something else, a dragon's eye view of Berk in the middle of a raid. *And you know that I never stole food. Did you ever wonder how I survived?* he asked.

Hiccup frowned, because it hadn't really occurred to him. "I…I thought you just got fish."

*Sometimes I did, but other times…* Another memory began to show, this one of dragons flying back to the nest as Toothless watched from above and behind. *I picked out the most tired or injured dragon carrying prey, and took it from them.* In his memory, Toothless dived at a Spike-Tail clutching a dead sheep in her claws. *I was always fresh to the fight…they never stood a chance.*

*It was every dragon for themselves, back then* he remarked, as they saw his memory of knocking the Spike-Tail aside with a blast and swooping down to catch the sheep. He looked down at Hiccup; Hiccup could see the age in his eyes. *Those dragons died because of me. And you know what the worst part is? I told myself it was the right thing. That it didn't matter if they were killed because they were weak; that I had to stay alive to defend my flock-mates from humans in the raids. I wasn't just selfish, I was cruel* he confessed.

Hiccup felt a sharp tangled flare of bitter guilt, a brief echo of Toothless' old regret. "No" he denied. The idea of Toothless being cruel made no sense. "It wasn't your fault. You said it yourself, the Red Death was controlling you!"

*Not completely. She blanked our minds, made us want to serve her, but she couldn't control everything we did.* He gave a brief shudder at the thought. *I knew exactly what I was doing, Hiccup. It was only after you snapped me out of her mind snare that I realised how wrong it was.*

"But you're not like that now! You weren't in your right mind. Toothless, you are a good, kind, amazing person…whatever you did back then doesn't matter. Not to me" Hiccup said firmly. As far as he was concerned, that was the end of it.

*Are you sure about that?*

"Positive."

*Well, if that's true for me, then why isn't it true for you?*

"…I, uh…" Hiccup searched for a way out, but Toothless had him cornered. He _had_ done all those things. And if he was meant to die in Myrkr, then why _did_ the heart bind work? He'd be a hypocrite if he insisted Toothless forgive himself when he … "You're saying I should forgive myself. I want to, but…I don't know if I can just…and it won't make a difference anyway. We're still enslaved. Our lives are ruined" he sighed glumly.

*For now.*

"What do you mean?"

*We're heart bound. You'll live as long as I do, and if we're both careful, that could be for centuries. And I don't think you'll be ageing like a human anymore. I mean, look at me. I'm sixty and I still look young for my age* he preened.

"You still act young for your age."

*My point is, we have more time than you think. I know you're scared of the monsters, Hiccup, but they are just human. They can't keep their guard up forever. Another chance to escape will come, and when it does, we'll be out of there quicker than you can say plasma blast* Toothless teased, nuzzling him.

Hiccup giggled. "I never thought of it like that" he confessed. The hunters had begun to seem invincible, always one step ahead…but Toothless was right. They were still human, and no-one was undefeatable. Not even Hauke. "But…even if you're right, and I'm ageing slowly, no-one else will be. They…by the time we go back, they might be old." Some of them, like his father, might even be dead.

*I know, and I don't think there's anything we can do about that* Toothless said ruefully, *but they'll be so happy to see you that it won't matter. We can go anywhere you want, Hiccup. We'll be free, and you'll never suffer like this again. Until that happens, can you be the brave human I know you are?*

Hiccup smiled for the first time in almost three weeks. Hope flared to life like a heart-fire of his own in his chest. "Yeah, bud. Anything for you."

*And please, don't hurt yourself again* Toothless begged.

"I won't. Never again, I promise."

*Good. As for wanting to die…* Toothless whined at the thought and nuzzled him tenderly. *I don't want you to, obviously, but if you ever start to feel that way again, tell me. And if…if you really can't take it anymore, we'll become stars together. You won't be alone* he declared, gazing down at Hiccup with wide, adoring eyes. Hiccup felt overwhelmed by his other half's promise and love.

He yawned, suddenly exhausted. "Thanks, Toothless. You always know just…what to…say…" Hiccup's eyes drifted shut. The dragon purred and carefully laid down, still cradling his other half in his forepaws. *You're welcome, Hiccup* he said as he closed his eyes and rested his head over Hiccup's small form.

/

The next morning, Hiccup woke feeling better rested than he had for weeks. He also felt light-headed…but his heart had lightened too. Just a little bit. He didn't feel happy, exactly, but he didn't feel empty either. He didn't want to die, anymore. He didn't want to hurt himself. He was sorry he'd ever wanted to.

When he sat up, his head spun. Gasping, Hiccup steadied himself and panted. Suddenly he remembered – last night, he had cut himself and…he must have fallen asleep, or passed out or something. Had he lost more blood than he thought? Worried, Hiccup looked down at his right arm to check the wound. Instead he saw a bandage, which made his eyes widen in alarm.

 _They knew._ At once, his fear of the monsters came rushing back. Hiccup's heart thudded in his chest and he cringed. They knew he'd been cutting himself, Hauke was going to be angry at him damaging the man's property, they were gonna punish him – he didn't want to have his eye gouged out!

Panicking, Hiccup searched for the sharp broken piece. It wasn't there. All the pieces of the broken bowl were gone, and the blanket – someone had moved it, laid it next to him. It covered a bloodstain, his blood. He felt more confused and uneasy by the minute. The rattling of the pulley-cage startled him; he hastily tugged his sleeve down over the bandage and spread the blanket out again. Then he waited for the hunter to come and take him out for another day of being treated like dirt. _I'm not worthless like they think_ he tried to tell himself.

Much to his surprise, it wasn't a hunter who came to the cell, but the surgeon. "Drink this" he said, holding a tankard through the bars to him. Bewildered, Hiccup reached out and took it. Just water, but it settled the queasiness in his stomach. "I offered to fetch you this morning. Don't forget to drink plenty."

 _Who else knows?_ Hiccup couldn't help but wonder. He didn't know what to do. The surgeon moved to unlock the cage. Hiccup got to his feet, and the world spun even more than when he sat up. He groaned and stumbled, grabbing onto the bars for support. "Careful" the surgeon admonished, "You can't move too suddenly. You lost quite a bit of blood last night."

"Please, sir – I know it wasn't allowed but please, please don't" –

"Easy, lad. Nobody else knows. If anyone asks, you cut yourself gutting fish, okay?" the man advised. Hiccup could hardly believe it. The surgeon wasn't going to tell Hauke? He found it hard to believe the man had been down to the dragon cages last night, which begged the question – who had found him bleeding out? And why were they keeping it a secret?

Three days later, Hiccup was finally allowed to feed Toothless, with proper fish, as a reward for being so obedient. He went slowly at first, tearing off chunks of fish and washing them down with water. Hiccup fed him again in the evening. "Wake up soon, bud" he murmured. Toothless' ear-flap twitched. Hiccup stared, hardly daring to hope. Toothless sniffed. Gave a thin whimper. Twitched again.

Hiccup reached between the bars and laid his hand on the dragon's muzzle. Toothless sniffed again, and then – at last – those beautiful clear green eyes blinked open. He crooned. *Hiccup.* Unable to stop smiling, Hiccup lay on his stomach to meet Toothless' gaze. "Hey, bud" he whispered, "Welcome back."

There were still lots of fish left. Hiccup slipped them through the bars next to Toothless and poured fresh water into the trough. "I still have chores to do" he said resignedly, "but I'll be back soon. I promise. Eat up; but not too fast, you don't wanna upset your stomach" he cautioned. Toothless rolled his eyes and raised his head, sniffing at the fish beside him. He licked one up and gulped.

Hiccup left. Missing him already, Toothless ate the fish one at a time, even if he wanted to swallow them all down in one go. Then he began to stretch after his long sleep, yawning widely. Across from him, Blaze remarked *You're awake. We thought you were gonna die.*

*It will take a lot more than starving to get the best of me* Toothless boasted. Still, he felt very weak and achy. He could tell that Hiccup had taken good care of him, as much as he could. Let him drink, and from what he could tell, cleaned up the mess when his body relieved itself. All that whilst having to do all these other boring chores and feeling so miserable that he hurt himself, tried to die.

Toothless whimpered at the thought. His poor, beloved Hiccup; to think that the monsters had almost succeeded in breaking him! Toothless would never forget the pain in Hiccup's voice when he claimed he'd be better off dead. He must never, ever let his dearest one feel that way again. It was a wrongness.

As he stretched each limb in turn, and shifted about, trying to ease the stiffness in his…everything…Toothless' tail brushed against something, and it rustled. Curious, he nudged it closer with his tail. It was a rolled up piece of parchment. He wondered what it was for. _Hiccup will know._

When Hiccup came back, the first thing he did was throw his arms around the dragon's neck and hold on tight. "Oh, I missed you so much! Never go anywhere again" he insisted, rubbing his face against Toothless' scales. His other half nuzzled him back and purred. *I don't plan to. Somebody left something for you* he remarked. Hiccup climbed right over him to grab the scroll.

He unfurled it and they looked at it together. It was covered in those strange marks that humans loved to put all over parchment. "Stay awake" Hiccup read aloud, "and burn this. Can you make fire, yet?" he asked Toothless.

The dragon stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. *I was already going to stay awake. I've just been asleep for three weeks. And what do you want to burn it for?* he asked, snorting incredulously at the oddness of humans, even his own.

"Because that's what it says on…oh! Right, you can't read!" Hiccup chuckled. Toothless made a bemused noise. "Toothless, these markings are _words_."

*They're lines* the dragon insisted, but doubtfully.

"Yes, they're lines that make words. It's how we humans talk to each other without having to speak" Hiccup explained. Toothless peered hard at the words, struggling to understand. Finally it clicked. *You can draw sounds?*

"That's one way of putting it. I think I know who left this note, and it says to burn it, so…" He held it pinched between two fingers as Toothless breathed a tiny puff of flame onto it. The parchment caught fire in seconds; Hiccup hastily tossed it in the empty food trough. "Eh. I'll clean that out later." He kept his mind occupied by giving Toothless a thorough rub-down.

They ended up curled together, talking quietly about what Hiccup had gone through whilst Toothless was lost in the death-sleep. He let the dragon lick his scars and stroked his smooth black scales, and they whispered and crooned promises and apologies and endearments to each other. At last, a light flickered into view. Footsteps approached their cell, and they looked up warily.

Adulfr stepped in front of the bars. "You're going to tell me about the dragons you've conquered, thrall, and I don't care how tired you are" he insisted imperiously. Toothless growled, indignant, but Hiccup put a hand on his snout. Adulfr sat down cross-legged and stared at them expectantly.

"I'm sorry" said Hiccup, "I shouldn't have brushed you off before. I was angry and I took it out on you, but you hadn't done anything. So, truce?" he offered, holding a hand out to shake.

For a moment the teen hesitated, but then he reached through the bars and shook Hiccup's hand. "I'll tell you about the dragons I've trained; on one condition."

"I won't tell anyone about this."

"I figured. What I mean is, I'll tell you so long as you don't treat me like a thrall. Treat me like…a friend."

The teen seemed to blush, though it was hard to tell in this light, and looked away. "I don't really…have any friends."

"Well, you do now" Hiccup declared. He knew it was foolish; that he was too trusting. It had cost him so much with Onarr…but Adulfr had kept his cutting a secret (he'd long since worked out the guy must have found him that night), and now he was risking his father's wrath to come down here so late and talk to Hiccup about dragons, to learn from him. Besides, he felt sorry for Adulfr.

"If you insist. Now, tell me about the dragons you've trained, friend."

Hiccup had to bite back a chuckle; Adulfr really wasn't any good at normal, friendly conversation. "Well, there's Toothless, obviously. Um…there's Sharpshot, a Terrible Terror I trained to shoot really accurate fire blasts. And we trained a load of Terrors to carry messages for us between islands; we call it T-mail" he explained. He hoped the little guy was okay.

"Oh, and there's Torch – oh hush you" he admonished Toothless, who had started growling at the mention of the Fire-Spinner hatchling. Hiccup scratched him under the skin and his growls melted into purrs of bliss.

"Torch was this Typhoomerang hatchling we found in the woods on Berk" he explained to Adulfr, "I took him home with me. I thought Toothless was jealous, but it turned out he was trying to warn me that Torch's mother was looking for him. His very large, very angry mother. First rule of dragon training; the trust and communication has to go both ways. You have to learn to understand your dragon, and listen to them, because sometimes they know better than you."

Adulfr nodded, seeming interested. "But those are little dragons. Haven't you mastered…I mean, trained – any large ones?"

"Um…there's the Screaming Death, I suppose. I didn't train that dragon, but we did fight him" Hiccup explained, putting an arm around Toothless' neck.

"What's a…Screaming Death?"

"You've heard of Whispering Deaths, right? A Screaming Death only hatches every hundred years. Three times the size of a normal Whispering Death, with bright red eyes, that isn't repelled by sunlight or…by anything, really."

Adulfr's eyes were wide and amazed. "If my father ever caught one of those dragons, he'd be thrilled. And you fought it? Did you kill it?"

"No. I haven't killed a dragon since the Red Death, and that doesn't really count, cos Toothless is the one who made the shot. No, we drove the Screaming Death away, but he kept coming back. He was destroying whole islands. But then I found out he was searching everywhere for the Whispering Death who had laid his egg. The whole time, he was just a big baby looking for his mother."

Adulfr grinned. "What? So you told him where his mummy was and they flew off to live happily ever after?"

"Pretty much!" Hiccup yawned. "Sorry. It's been a long day." Toothless nudged him; he smiled and nuzzled the dragon back. Adulfr felt an odd tightness in his chest, watching them. He saw how relaxed Hiccup was in the dragon's paws, how the dragon was careful and gentle with him. Nobody ever held Adulfr like that. His mother used to, but not anymore. He wouldn't let her, anymore.

"You really care about your dragon, don't you?"

"More than anything. And I know he feels the same way."

"…He sort of reminds me of Skadi. They're both black. Well, she has fur, and he has scales…but you know what I mean."

"Who's Skadi?"

"My pet wolf. I mean, she's not really a pet…father won't let me keep her. But she's my friend. I tamed her" Adulfr said proudly. Hiccup yawned again. Adulfr yawned as well. "Maybe I'll tell you about her…next time." He picked up the lamp and got to his feet. When he looked up, he realised that Hiccup had fallen asleep. Toothless looked at him with intelligent eyes. "Goodnight" said Adulfr.


	12. Chapter 12 - Unexpected Discoveries

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Twelve – Unexpected Discoveries

Eret's crew were sailing north. They were making quick progress, which had Eret more concerned than he normally would be. "Look alive, men! With any luck we'll reach Drago in less than a month, so we'd better fill this ship up with dragons before then. We can't afford to be picky, not if we want to keep our" –

"DRAGONS! OFF THE PORT QUARTER!" Tinni bellowed from the crow's nest.

Eret spun around and saw a Monstrous Nightmare, a Zippleback and a Gronckle flying straight for them. "Net 'em, lads! Take 'em down!" he cheered.

A moment later he recognised the Nightmare, and realised that the other dragons were being ridden too. _How many of these crazy people are there?_ He wondered as he aimed a net catapult at the Nightmare with the wannabe spy. "You're not getting away this time" he muttered, before firing. The dragon was too high up though, and coiled away before the net could ensnare it.

"Come on, reload!" Tinni shouted. The trappers attempted again to net one of the dragons, but they kept dodging and circling just out of range, occasionally firing at the ship but never hitting it. "What the heck are they doing?" Eret questioned. Dragons didn't act like this, normally. "Noam! Get the chum!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Noam saluted and headed below deck. That was the nice thing about Noam. No matter what unsavoury task you put before him; swabbing the deck, mucking the dragons out, fetching not-quite-fresh raw fish; he was happy to do it all. Of course they all did their fair share, but Noam was the only one who never seemed to complain.

Meanwhile, up in the sky, the dragons were trying to fly as erratically as possible without getting entangled in a net or crashing in to each other. Barf&Belch had to dodge a net, and shot a stream of burning gas down at the ship in retaliation. "Hey, watch it!" Ruffnut yelled in the general direction of the trappers. "That was clo- _Oh_ " A predatory grin spread over her face as she spotted Eret taking aim at them again, and his strong jaw, his bulging muscles. "Me _likey_. Take me!"

Tuffnut stared at her in incredulous disgust as she spread her arms out and didn't even try to help him pull Barf&Belch out of the line of fire. Meatlug fired a lava blast at the net to destroy it. "Can you two focus?" Fishlegs demanded.

"It's not me! It's her!"

"Where the heck is Astrid? She needs to grab that hunk of man meat for me!"

No sooner had Ruffnut said it, than Astrid swooped down on Stormfly and snatched Eret right off the deck. The distraction had worked; all the trappers were so busy trying to shoot down the dragons flying crazily on their port side, they weren't paying any attention to the starboard side. "ERET!" she heard one of them yell, as she and the others peeled off and started flying north.

Eret struggled in Stormfly's claws. "What is this?!" he demanded.

"A kidnapping" Astrid replied cheerfully.

"You caught him!" Ruffnut crowed in delight, "Can he ride with me? Can he? _Can he_?" she begged, wrapping her arms around his leg and nuzzling his thigh. He pulled a face and tried to shake her off; Tuffnut shook his head with a disgusted scoff and steered Barf&Belch away. Astrid encouraged Stormfly higher, forcing Ruffnut to let go or risk falling off her dragon.

"You're going to show us the way to Drago" Astrid informed Eret.

"And help dragon riders sneak into Drago's camp? Just kill me now."

"That can be arranged. Stormfly, drop it!" she declared, much to his alarm. The Nadder squawked and unclenched her claws, dropping him like a stone. "Good girl!" Astrid praised, "Stormfly, fetch!"

Eret screamed as he plummeted and his life flashed before his eyes. "Okay! Okay! I'll take you to Drago!" _Way to hold out_ , a voice in his head sniggered. He told it to shut up. The Nadder grabbed him again and he panted.

Above him, Astrid smiled serenely and cracked her knuckles. "Works every time" she remarked airily.

On they flew. It wasn't long before Eret started to feel uncomfortable. "Oi, blondie!" he called up awkwardly.

"It's Astrid."

"Okay, _Astrid._ Are you gonna carry me like this the whole way there?"

From somewhere nearby, a shout: "You can ride with me, Eret son of Eret!"

"You told her my name?!" he asked in dismay.

"You told me it first. Don't worry; I won't make you ride with the twins unless you cause any trouble. If you're good I might let you ride up here with me."

"On second thoughts, dangling is fine. You know the fleet is at least a month away, right?"

"For a ship. Dragons are faster."

They flew on. Pretty soon Eret was uncomfortable and bored. "What do you want to find Drago Bludvist's fleet for, anyway?" he asked. "You won't find any friends there, believe you me."

"That's none of your business."

"Hey, if you've kidnapped me, the least you can do is keep me entertained, informed…all that good stuff. Don't I have a right to know why I'm being held hostage, or blackmailed, or whatever it is you're going to do with me?"

"He has a point" said Fishlegs. Astrid frowned at him. "What? I'm just saying, if we're kidnapping him, we really ought to tell him what's going on. It's fair."

"Kidnapping isn't fair" Astrid retorted; but she wasn't in the mood for an argument, so she relented. "All you need to know is that we want to see what we're up against. That, and some of his hunters killed a friend of ours."

"Ah! So you're out for revenge."

"We're out for justice."

" _Sure_ …Listen, I hate to be a bother when you're dangling me down here like a piece of meat" –

"A really hot hunky piece!"

"…But I have to pee" Eret finished. Astrid rolled her eyes. So did Stormfly.

* * *

 _One week earlier_

It took almost a week for Toothless to regain his strength and most of his weight after the long fast he was forced to endure. Hauke didn't want to present a weak or sickly Night Fury to Drago, so he 'allowed' Toothless to be given whole fish instead of the chum the other dragons were still forced to eat.

He wished he could share the fish with them. He'd offered to keep a few for Hiccup, but his human insisted that he get his strength back and eat them all. As Toothless recovered, he hoped that Hiccup would as well, but this was not quite true. Hiccup no longer hurt himself on purpose, or felt like he wanted to die. Yet he was still subdued, and sometimes even cried himself to sleep.

It left Toothless worried. Hiccup wasn't himself; he was like a shell. He didn't want to make fun of the monsters behind their backs, or talk about adventures the two of them had shared. Even when they were both dreaming together, he didn't want to fly or play, insisting that there was no point. Toothless tried to encourage him, to cheer him, but melancholia could not be so easily cured.

Hiccup knew he was melancholic; he'd read about it in a book from Trader Johann, and recognised some of the symptoms from Vikings who had lost the ability to fight and grieved the loss of something they could never get back. It was a good thing so many of his chores were repetitive and dull because he could do them without really thinking about it, letting his mind go blissfully blank for a few minutes at a time. He ate less. He was tired, but restless too.

On the seventh day of that week, Hiccup was swabbing the deck, his mind half on that and half on schematics for a pulley-cage on Berk. He believed Toothless, that they would escape and go home one day. _One day._ For now, _one day at a time._ On this particular day, he heard a shout from the crow's nest. "Ships ahoy!" Curious, Hiccup edged towards the edge of the ship, keeping an eye out.

Once he was sure nobody was looking, Hiccup heaved himself up on the bulkhead and looked out towards the prow of the ship. On the horizon he could dimly make out a few ships, black and ominous even from a distance. Hiccup shivered. _That must be some of Drago's fleet._ He watched as they got closer and closer, until a hunter shouted at him. "Thrall! Wake up, ya useless whelp!"

 _I'm not useless_ he tried to tell himself, to remember what Toothless told him. "Sorry, sir" he said automatically, picking up the mop and trying to look busy.

"Never mind that. Your master wants you. He's in his cabin."

 _Oh. Great._ "…Yes, sir." Hiccup dumped the bucket of seawater back overboard and went to put it and the mop away before he went to Hauke's cabin. He walked as slowly as he could, but in the end he still found himself standing outside the door. Hiccup took a deep breath, let it out slowly…and knocked.

"Come in."

He opened the door carefully and stepped over the rim, closing the door behind him. "Master. I was told you wanted to see me?" Hiccup asked tentatively, keeping his eyes down. Not out of respect, but because he loathed the sight of the man, and feared him. He didn't want to meet his tormentor's eyes.

Hauke was seated behind his desk. He stood and walked around it. "I need you to help me prepare for our arrival at the fleet. Clad me in my armour, thrall."

Hiccup closed his eyes and bit back a sigh. "Yes, master." He hated it when he had to wait on Hauke; it felt awkward and wrong and drove the knife of his slavery in deeper. _One day at a time._ He came over to the cupboard Hauke was waiting beside and opened it, revealing the dragon hunter's armour on a manikin. A piece at a time, he removed it and placed it on Hauke himself.

As he worked, Hauke spoke. "Has the Night Fury recovered?" he inquired.

Caught off guard by the question, Hiccup fumbled with the fastenings for a moment. "Um, he…yes, master. He's…feeling much better."

"Good. I don't want to sell a weak dragon to Drago Bludvist" Hauke commented. Hiccup bit his tongue to keep from retorting aloud, _He wouldn't have been weakened if you hadn't starved him._ Hauke went on, "When we rendezvous with the fleet, the dragons will be presented on the deck. Your job will be to keep them under control, so we don't have to waste time and effort sedating them and heaving them about. Do you understand, thrall?"

"Yes, master" Hiccup answered. He didn't see the smirk on Hauke's face, as the man relished how they'd taken the wilful, stubborn brat and moulded him into an obedient, unquestioning puppet. "As for the Night Fury itself" he went on, "I want to present it to Drago personally, and I expect you to make sure it's on its best behaviour."

"Yes, master." The boy didn't even raise a protest at him calling his precious dragon an 'it'. _We really have broken him in well_ , Hauke mused, _I wonder…?_

"It's good to see you've finally learned your place" he remarked. The boy winced, but didn't say anything. "In fact, you've been so obedient and useful that it would be a shame to have to replace you with another thrall…so I've decided to sell the Night Fury to Drago Bludvist and keep you here."

"No!" Hiccup cried, staring at him in horror. "You can't!"

"Did I say you could speak?" Hauke demanded, frowning in disapproval.

Hiccup flinched. "P-permission to s-speak?" he stammered.

"…..Granted."

"Please, don't – master, please don't send Toothless away without me. He needs me, and I…I need him. Please, please keep us together" Hiccup begged.

"Oh, of course. You're 'heart bound'" Hauke nodded, all but scoffing the words as if they were disgusting to say. "How loyal. How pathetic. Grovelling to be allowed to stay with your precious dragon, the creature that cursed you to be this dependent on him in the first place. If the Night Fury had just let you die, do you think you'd be here now?"

Hiccup tensed. "He saved me. He just wanted to help me" he insisted cautiously.

"It's made you weak. You feel each other's pain, and that makes you so much easier to control. You obey so the dragon won't be harmed. It obeys so you won't be harmed. When it was unconscious, you were a wreck. You still are. Face it, Haddock. This 'heart bound' nonsense has turned you into a needy, snivelling wretch, who wants to be locked in a cage with a beast" Hauke said cruelly. "You must hate the Night Fury."

 _That_ got a reaction. Hiccup glared at Hauke, a brief spark of his old rebellious fire in his eyes as he retorted, "I will _never_ hate him. Toothless is not the one who broke me – he's the only one keeping me sane." As soon as it appeared, that spark of defiance faded and Hiccup cringed in anticipation of a harsh rebuke. "I, I mean – I didn't – I…" He was taken aback when Hauke laughed.

"The look on your face! Don't worry your little dragon-loving head" the hunter-Chief said patronisingly, "I'll do my best to convince Drago to buy you as well. Of course I can't make any promises; Bludvist isn't the sort of man who appreciates being told what decisions to make" he warned. The fear in Hiccup's eyes at the thought of not being sold with the Night Fury was delicious.

"I'll still have to replace you, of course" he mused, "and do you know, I think you're right. We should have more than two thralls. With the gold I'll get for the Night Fury – and you, I suppose – I could buy a thrall for every man on the ship. In the meantime I might as well have Adulfr do your chores. He's always been so eager to please, the foolish boy. He's been more use as a slave than as a son."

Unbeknownst to either Hauke or Hiccup, at this particular moment Adulfr was eavesdropping, and he could hardly believe his ears. _More use as a slave?_ The few times Hiccup hadn't been able to work, he, Adulfr, had taken over instead. His father told him it would build character, show him what being on a voyage was really like. Hauke praised him for making himself useful; but did he really think Adulfr was _more use as a slave?_

His pride bruised, Adulfr escaped into his cabin before anyone could catch him listening in. _I must not doubt my father. He made me. He is my better._ Adulfr told himself this over and over, yet the doubts kept trickling in. He remembered how eagerly Hiccup had told him about the Night Fury he called Toothless, how Toothless had held him in gentle paws. How the two of them…loved each other.

* * *

By the time Hauke emerged from his cabin, with Hiccup following reluctantly, the _Black Death_ had reached the edges of Drago's armada. The hunters were working to get the dragons out of their cells and onto the top deck, ready to be inspected and sold. The weeks of mistreatment had worn them down as well, and they barely resisted. Hiccup felt like he was betraying them by helping.

Toothless was the last dragon to be brought out on deck. Much like the other dragons, his limbs were shackled and a heavy metal collar was clamped around his neck, with a chain attached. At Hauke's command, Hiccup fastened on the prosthetic tail-fin. "One more thing" the hunter declared, tossing Hiccup a piece of leather. "Muzzle it" he ordered coldly.

Hiccup flinched. He had been made to keep Toothless calm as they put the poor dragon in chains, but he didn't want to do this. *It's okay, Hiccup. I'll be fine* Toothless reassured him. Loathing himself, but moreso Hauke, he knelt and strapped the leather band around Toothless' jaws. "I'm sorry" he whispered as he embraced the dragons head, until he was dragged away.

The ship slid in amongst the other large, dark vessels; even larger and darker than the one Hiccup and Toothless had the displeasure of living aboard. Everywhere he looked, Hiccup saw huge domed traps, net launchers big enough to capture a Timberjack, and dragons in armour, their scales and eyes dull. There was a cloying air of oppressive misery, and he shivered at the sight of it.

Stood close by, holding the chain attached to the collar around Toothless' neck, Hauke asked him, "Impressive, isn't it?"

Hiccup gulped. "Yes, master" he answered. It was a lie.

"Does it scare you?"

"…Yes, master."

"Good."

A wide, solid metal gangplank was slid from the ship on their starboard side, and a group of warriors boarded them. Hauke handed the chain off to Beater and went to greet them. The other hunters closed ranks around Hiccup and Toothless at the stern of the ship, hiding them from view. There was a lot of arguing; from what Hiccup could tell, there was no room for these dragons on the other ships, which meant they would have to remain on the _Black Death._

Hauke argued with the leader of these new soldiers to be granted an audience with Drago Bludvist. The request was allowed, so Toothless and Hiccup were led over several decks and gang-planks to the largest vessel, the flagship of Drago's fleet. Hiccup's hands were tied behind his back. Heavy footsteps approached, thumping on the deck. A voice boomed out, rough and fierce and unchallenged.

"Hauke! What is the meaning of this?"

"My apologies, Drago, for disturbing you. I merely wished to show you the prize of my collection – soon to be one of the most feared dragons in your army" Hauke replied smoothly. The hunters blocking Hiccup and Toothless from view stepped aside, and they got their first view of Drago Bludvist.

He rivalled the Chief of Berk in size, with a face carved from cragged stone, black hair tangled in dreadlocks, and eyes dark and cold as the deep ocean. In his right hand he held a heavy, cruel bull hook as if it were a light staff, and draped over his left shoulder was a cloak made of dragonskin. _Black dragonskin._ Toothless let out an imperceptible whimper at the sight of the Swift-Wing remains.

Drago's eyes widened at the sight of him…then he frowned deeply. "One? You only captured _one_?" he glared at Hauke. The other hunters cringed slightly. How terrifying must Drago have been, if he even frightened these monsters?

However, if Hauke was afraid, or even nervous, he hid it well. Instead he bowed, and answered, "I'm afraid there was a setback. The good news is that I have something extra for you." The man gestured, and Hiccup was shoved forwards, falling to his knees before Drago. "This is my thrall, and I wish to sell him along with the Night Fury. I've broken him in for you and everything."

" _With_ the Night Fury?" Drago frowned deeply, looking at Hiccup the way one might look upon a particularly disgusting stain. "What do you think I want with this scrawny wretch?"

"I know he doesn't look like much – he isn't – but this is – or I should say, was Hiccup Haddock, the so-called 'Dragon Master'. The former son and heir of the Chief of Berk, Stoick the Vast. I believe you're familiar with him?"

Drago stared down at Hiccup…then his face contorted and he chuckled. The sound chilled Hiccup's bones. "You? The son of Stoick the Vast?" Drago asked rhetorically, incredulous. "What shame he must feel." Hiccup couldn't hold the man's dark gaze, and looked away. Drago was right. After all, why wouldn't his father be ashamed of him, after what he'd let himself become?

*Don't listen to him, Hiccup. Your dad isn't ashamed of you. He loves you.*

 _I don't know what I'd do without you, bud._

"I'll have the Night Fury" Drago announced, "you can take your thrall back." The hunters heaved on the chain to pull the dragon away, but Toothless dug his claws in and resisted. Drago scowled dangerously and raised his bull hook.

"Stop!" Hiccup cried out; in desperation, he scrambled to his feet and stepped between his other half and Drago. "Listen to – agh!" He was swatted aside like a gnat and tumbled over the deck. *Hiccup!* cried Toothless, lunging towards him, only to be yanked back by the collar around his neck. Drago let out a bellow and struck him around the head with the hook, sending him reeling.

Hiccup screamed at the blow, the pain of it shocking through his own body. He screamed again as Drago brought the blunt end of the hook down on Toothless' sensitive snout, crushing it to the deck and forcing the dragon to lie down before him. "I am your master now" Drago growled, larger than life and terrifying. "You belong to _me_."

"Please…stop" Hiccup groaned, "it hurts…Master, please, tell him!"

"Silence!" Drago shouted at him. Somebody grabbed Hiccup, began hauling him away. He wrested himself free of their grip and threw himself down beside Toothless, begging "Please let me stay with him! I'll do anything! We're heart bound!" He looked over at Hauke and pleaded, " _Please_ , tell him it's true!"

Drago's expression remained angry, but it became confused as well. "Heart…bound?" he repeated, as if the words – especially the first one – were foreign to him. He glared at Hauke and demanded, "What is he talking about?"

"That setback I mentioned? My men and I shot this Night Fury down – as well as the boy, its rider. I tried to get rid of him, but the dragon somehow saved his life. This… 'heart bound' thing, as I understand it, is some sort of life debt. They can feel each other's pain. Observe" Hauke invited, before kicking the Night Fury in the ribs without warning. Hiccup cried out in pain, as did Toothless.

"The downside is that to kill one is to kill the other, and I doubt the whelp would last long if he were taken away from his beloved dragon" Hauke explained, "but the mere threat of being separated will make him so much more compliant. Let him stay with the Night Fury, and he will do anything you want."

Drago looked from Hauke, down at Hiccup and Toothless, who cowered beneath his icy glare. At last he looked back at Hauke. "Stay with the fleet. Soon, we will advance once more." Hauke bowed, and Drago turned his terrible gaze on the frightened heart bound pair. "I am your master" he repeated, "you both belong to me. You will do my bidding, thrall", he threatened Hiccup, "or you will never see the Night Fury again."

Heart thudding with fear, but also relief, Hiccup bowed his head. "Yes, master."

* * *

 _Eight days later_

Stoick and Gobber were flying north. It was supposed to just be Stoick, but Gobber insisted on accompanying him. So he'd reluctantly left Spitelout in charge of Berk, and the rest of the council in charge of Spitelout, and set off with his best friend after the dragon riders. He hadn't been going to follow, but the thought of something happening to them was too much to bear.

Wherever they were going had already taken a week of hard flying. Stoick knew they were on the right trail; Skull Crusher could track a scent over several miles of ocean, and the islands or sea stacks they landed on to rest were the same ones that Astrid and the others had been on. Now, it was nearing dusk, and the two men and their dragons were searching for somewhere to come down.

Unfortunately, the only solid things beneath them were icebergs and floes. None of which would make for a comfortable kip. "It's alright for you" Stoick told Gobber, "if your dragon dozes off, he'll just keep flying!"

"Aye! An' if I doze off, I'll jus' keep fallin'!" the old blacksmith retorted. "O' course, I dinnae think anyone could fall ta sleep in this cold" he grumbled, trying to warm his hand up on Grump. "I had to put two extra pairs of undies on to stay warm, and I _still_ can't feel my" –

"Gobber! Just keep your eyes peeled. The other riders will need to rest as well, so we stay on the trail until we catch up with 'em. This ice field can't go on forever" Stoick insisted. At least he hoped it didn't. Gobber was exaggerating about the cold keeping them awake; they both knew that getting too cold made one very tired, which made it harder to move about and stay warm.

Stoick felt his eyelids drooping, and slapped himself awake. Truth be told, he couldn't feel his…extremities either. _Focus_ , he chided himself. He would have to be in top form to face Drago Bludvist. _I should have gone with the riders in the first place. I should have found out where Bludvist's armada is lurking and gone back to Berk to set up reinforcements. I should have been a better leader._

Gobber noticed his scowl and called over, "Don't worry, Stoick! They aren't kids anymore. They're warriors, Vikings – dragon riders! Besides, Astrid's got a good head on her shoulders. She'll keep 'em straight. That lass is gonna make a fine Chief. You made the right choice, Stoick" he insisted. Yes, he wished it could have been Hiccup, but they had to do what was best for the tribe.

There was no reply. Stoick just hunched on Skull Crusher's saddle and kept looking for somewhere to land. Gobber did the same, but he went on regardless, "You know, as one of your oldest and closest friends, Chief, I feel honour-bound to tell you that sometimes, you live up to your name way too- AAAUGH!" he yelled as he was snatched right off Grump…who just kept going.

"Gobber!" cried Stoick, urging Skull Crusher to chase the dragon – a breed he didn't recognise – that had grabbed his friend. No sooner had he raised his war hammer and uttered a fearsome battle cry, however, than _he_ was plucked out of the saddle and unceremoniously carried away. Unlike Grump, however, Skull Crusher actually made some protest.

He bellowed angrily and charged his rider's captor, slamming into him to dislodge his grip. The dragons – there were several – all roared and growled at each other. Then, much to Stoick and Gobber's bewilderment, their dragons fell into formation with the others, flying beside and below them in case they fell.

"What in Thor's name is going on?!" Stoick demanded. He didn't appreciate being dangled by his arms and torso like this; it was extremely undignified.

"Don't panic! Maybe they're taking us to an island!"

"Oh, aye! Maybe we're being taken home for dinner!"

"That'd be nice, I'm starving…Oh _._ Unless _we're_ the dinner?"

Somehow, that was doubtful. For one thing, if they were really in danger, then their dragons wouldn't be so calm. Well…at least Skull Crusher would be putting up more of a fuss. He wasn't so sure about Grump.

The sun had more or less set by the time they reached their mysterious destination; it seemed like a mountain encased in ice, green and spiked. The dragons swarmed through a tunnel and deposited the two Vikings in a cave, landing and crowding around them, growling. Skull Crusher shoved his way to Stoick's side, grunting and pawing at the ground, horn lowered defensively.

A certain Hotburple, on the other hand, fell asleep. "Grump! I can't believe you – get up, ya lazy heap o' scales!" Gobber complained, shoving at his dragon's prone form to no avail. Privately, Stoick almost envied Grump's ability to just fall asleep wherever he was. He looked around warily at the not-yet-hostile dragons. Most of them were breeds he didn't recognise, but there were a few Monstrous Nightmares, a couple of Nadders, a masked figure – _Wait a minute._

Stoick's glance flicked back to the patch of shadow where he'd seen the half familiar shape, but there was nothing there. "Gobber…we're not alone."

"You don't say? I can see the dragons too, ya know."

"Not them! There's someone else here" Stoick warned. He watched closely, and caught glimpses of a strange figure sneaking behind the dragons hemming them in. "Hello? We come in peace" he declared, stepping forwards boldly. "Show yourself!" Stoick challenged. He wanted to find out if this was friend or foe.

The dragons bristled, baring fangs. Skull Crusher growled right back. "Easy, old boy. We're not here to fight" Stoick warned, before calling out again. "We're not trespassers! We were brought here. What do you want with us? Are you an enemy, or an ally?" he demanded. With so many dragons around he didn't want to set them off, but Stoick's patience was wearing thin.

At last the figure emerged from hiding. In one hand they held a staff, which they shook. It rattled, and all around them, dragon jaws were filled with fire. Soon the whole cave was illuminated, so Stoick and Gobber had their first decent look at the mysterious figure who had watched them from the shadows.

The stranger was of slight build, and it was hard to tell how tall they were, because they remained half crouched. Their face was completely obscured by a peculiar helmet, with long protrusions that resembled dragon spikes. In fact, the strangers whole apparel was similar to a dragon, right down to the clawed fingerless gauntlets they wore.

"I am Stoick the Vast, Chief of the Hooligan Tribe of Berk…and that's Gobber" Stoick added, almost as an afterthought. "We mean you no harm. Who are you?" he questioned. Stoick wondered if this stranger didn't know the Norse tongue, or if they'd spent so long amongst dragons they couldn't speak at all. "Do you understand me?" He strode forwards, losing patience. "Answer"-

"Stoick."

He froze in his tracks, staring at the masked stranger. He knew that voice. He still dreamed about that voice. That beloved, beautiful, _impossible voice_ …

Slowly, the figure set down the staff, stood to their…her…full height, and pulled off the helmet to reveal a face Stoick could never forget and never thought he would see again. "You're here…how's this possible?" she murmured nervously.

" _Valka_." Her name fell from his lips like a prayer. Out of his depth, Stoick glanced over at Gobber. The blacksmith was staring at Valka open-mouthed, but when he noticed Stoick he clamped his mouth shut. "I'll…let you take this one" he said slowly, awkwardly, turning his back on them.

Stoick looked at his long lost wife once more. They stared at each other as if they couldn't believe their eyes. Stoick stepped towards her, and Valka backed away. "This…this can't be happening. How can you be here?" she asked. Stoick kept approaching as if in a trance. "I know what you're going to say. How could I have stayed away all these years, and why didn't I come back to you?"

Her back hit the wall of the cave. "I'm sorry. I should have…I didn't…oh, don't be so stoic, Stoick!" she begged, when he still said nothing. "Just – be mad at me! Go on, shout, scream, say something!" Valka gasped when her husband, the man she loved, the man she'd left, reached out and cupped her cheek in his huge, calloused, warm hand. He stroked her cheek tenderly, tears in his eyes.

"You're as beautiful as the day I lost you" he whispered. He leaned in to kiss her, and she kissed him back, and it was as if those twenty years of loss and guilt and heartbreak had never happened at all.

They broke apart and just gazed at each other, lost in the moment. A curious grumble behind them made Stoick turn slightly, to find his dragon nosing in. "It's alright, Skull Crusher. She's a friend. What am I saying? She's my wife!"

Valka smiled in fond amusement. Only her Stoick would give a dragon a name like…she blinked and looked at the dragon again. More specifically, at what was on his back. "That…that's a seat" she said blankly, staring at the throne-like saddle and harness that the dragon wore as if it weighed nothing at all.

"Aye!" Stoick beamed proudly, "Skull Crusher is a mighty strong beast. He's a Rumblehorn; they can track anything, you know."

"Yes, I…wait. You _ride_ him?"

"How do you think we got here? Well, actually, we wouldn't have found you if these other dragons hadn't found us first. Which one of them is yours? Please tell me it isn't the one who took you away. Oh gods. It is, isn't it?"

Valka didn't know what to say. Stoick was here, he rode a dragon, and Gobber, and… "There's something I want to show you. Come" she beckoned, moving towards the tunnel she had first entered the cave through. Valka went through it with fluid ease, but the larger Stoick and Gobber went more slowly, and were quite out of breath by the time they squeezed through the opening at the end.

Then their breath was taken away for an entirely different reason. They emerged into a massive open space, darkened by the night but full of plants and running streams, and dragons, so many dragons. Perched on outcroppings, clinging to stalagmites. Eyes that flashed yellow in the moonlight turned to stare curiously at the strangers in their midst, some creeping over to sniff at them.

Stoick looked around for Valka, but he couldn't see her. "Erm…Stoick?" Gobber prompted. He was looking up. Stoick did the same, and saw _that dragon_ _ **,**_ the broad-ruffed, four-winged bane of his life…and his beloved wife, perched on the dragon's shoulder as if she belonged there. His suspicions were right, then. Her dragon partner was the one who stole her away.

Gobber ruined the moment. "Nice place you've got here" he remarked, "Very roomy. You've been living here on your own all this time?"

Valka tilted her head a bit, rather like a curious dragon, and gave a small nod.

Stoick looked around at the dragons who had come to investigate them, noting a few missing limbs, holes in wings and the like. "You rescue them, don't you? All these dragons. You save them from hunters and bring them here."

Another nod; and then, tentatively, as if hoping for his approval, Valka asked "You're…not upset?"

"No. Yes. Oh, I don't know!" Stoick cried, exasperated. "I'm not upset that you're alive, or about what you've been doing, but…Valka, _why_?"

She sighed, and slid off her dragon's shoulder, down his wing to the ground. "I owe you that much" she admitted, "You know, back then…it was kill or be killed, but I believed there was another way. It was a very unpopular opinion."

Stoick nodded. He remembered all too well having to defend her from people who called her a madwoman, for wanting to make peace with the dragons who raided them. _How things have changed_.

"One night, _that_ night…I saw a dragon break into our house, with our baby in the cradle. I rushed to save him, but what I saw…was proof of everything I believed" Valka went on, staring into space. "He wasn't hurting Hiccup. He was no vicious beast, but an intelligent, gentle creature, whose soul reflected my own" she said wonderingly.

"And then I barged in."

"Yes", she winced, "but what happened…it wasn't your fault. It was no-one's fault, but…you and Hiccup could have died that night, all because I couldn't kill a dragon. Cloud Jumper never meant to harm me, though. He must have thought I belonged here. It broke my heart to stay away, but I really thought you and Hiccup would be better off if I did. But I was wrong. I see that now."

Stoick sighed. "We both made mistakes. I suppose I can learn to get along with…him", he gestured to the dragon behind her, "for your sake, dear."

Valka smiled, surprised but happy. "Well, someone's certainly mellowed out after all this time. I can hardly believe it…since when do you like dragons?"

"Since Hiccup made friends with a Night Fury and they blew up the monster dragon who was making the rest of 'em raid us all the time" Gobber answered. Stoick and Valka stared at him. "Wait, was that rhetorical?"

Valka felt more bewildered by the minute. "Hiccup? Night Fury?"

"He did all of it, Valka. Our boy, he brought peace to Berk. He's a hero." Stoick's eyes filled with tears, and he sniffed. "You would have been so proud of him."

She was worried, now. "Would have?" she asked nervously, surprised to see her husband crying. Why wouldn't she still be proud of their son? Unless… " _No…"_

"He's gone, Val" whispered Stoick, a tear falling down his face. Tears filled her own eyes, and they embraced each other as they mourned their only son.

* * *

Astrid was not having a good time, for several reasons. First she'd been stuck with an arrogant git of a trapper who had a bigger ego than Snotlout and was constantly trying to escape. Second, she'd been stuck for eight days with Snotlout and the twins, and only Fishlegs to help mediate things. Third, they'd been captured within five minutes of finding Drago's armada.

Her only consolation was that Eret had been taken prisoner too, although he wasn't acting like it. "Drago! Get off me" he glared at the men holding him, "Always good to see you, my friend. Keeping warm up here? As you can see, I'm ahead of schedule with a new batch of dragons – and as an added bonus, I also caught you their riders" Eret declared, nodding at Astrid and the others.

Astrid glared at him, indignant but not really surprised. Ruffnut, on the other hand… "Why, Eret son of Eret! Why? You were so perfect!" she wailed.

Eret grinned disarmingly at Drago, to no effect whatsoever. "Turns out there's a load of – ack!" he choked, when the warlord suddenly seized him by the throat.

"How many riders are there?" Drago growled.

"Hundreds!" Astrid cut in, "A whole island full!"

"Don't worry, sir!" Eret gasped out, "My men are hunting them down as we speak" he lied, "they won't know where you're hiding, I promise you that!"

"Oh yes they will! They know we're missing and they have tracking dragons. In fact, our chief is following our trail right now!"

"Your chief?" Drago asked scornfully, dropping Eret on the deck. "And who is this great Chief of yours, little girl?"

Astrid drew herself up and replied, "Only the greatest chieftain in the whole Barbaric Archipelago. The only one to escape your massacre all those years ago – Stoick the Vast. If you don't let us go right now, he is going to blast in here with his Rumblehorn and" -

Suddenly, Astrid was cut off by an eerie, familiar shriek. It was something she hadn't heard for just over two months, and for a moment she couldn't place it. Everyone on deck backed away and cleared a space for the dragon to land; but not just any dragon. A Night Fury. And not just any Night Fury… "Toothless?!"

The riders couldn't believe their eyes. The black dragon wore no harness and his crimson tail-fin was gone, but it was still unmistakably the only Night Fury they knew. As if there was any doubt, he looked over at Astrid's exclamation and _stared_ , recognising them. For a moment he seemed happy to see them, as he would be after so long; but then Drago struck the deck with a bull hook.

Toothless flinched, and crouched submissively before the warlord. Astrid's heart went out to him. The poor thing must have been through so much, having Hiccup die and then to be captured and taken away to this horrible place. Well, she wasn't having any of that. They were going to escape and take Toothless with them, back to Berk. "He's one of ours!" she challenged Drago.

"The Night Fury belongs to me" Drago growled at her. "Where is that thrall?!" he demanded of the deck at large, clearly impatient. "Bring him to me!"

A few soldiers made to carry out his order, but hesitatingly, as if they weren't sure where to start. Then a voice spoke up – an impossible voice. A voice Astrid had been sure she would never hear again, except in nightmares. "I'm here!"

Running feet, a steady _thud-thock_ of a boot and a peg leg on the wooden deck. The speaker skidded to a halt in front of Drago, in front of the riders, who stared in disbelief. He was dressed in ragged, mud brown clothes, his peg was wooden, and his auburn hair was cropped close to his head. If he hadn't spoken, he might have been almost unrecognisable; but there was no mistaking that voice.

It was _Hiccup_ , alive and whole and here right in front of them; was this real, or some cruel trick of the gods? "Sorry, master" Hiccup said apologetically to a clearly displeased Drago. Astrid frowned. Since when did Hiccup call anyone 'master'? "I know I'm late, I just" –

"I don't want excuses!" Drago yelled, and he flinched. "Yes, master."

 _That tears it._ "Leave him alone!" Astrid cried out, expecting Hiccup to look over at her and be surprised, certainly, delighted even. He did look at her, and he was surprised, but it quickly gave way to a stare of what she could only describe as alarm. Hiccup didn't look happy to see them. He almost looked horrified.

The whole world seemed to freeze; then Drago struck the deck with his horrible hook again, and Hiccup jumped. "Yes, master! Sorry, um – Toothless?" He turned to his dragon, who crooned and rumbled. "Uh, he says the Kings nest doesn't seem to know we're here, or that…that you're going to attack. A few dragons were flying back from fishing, but they didn't see him."

"Is he certain?"

"Yes, master."

 _Hiccup, what are you doing?_ Astrid didn't know what he was talking about, but it was obvious that he and Toothless were being forced to work for Drago. "What have you done to them?" she demanded, glaring fiercely.

Drago glanced at her as if she wasn't worth his attention, and questioned Hiccup, "Do you know these riders?"

"I, uh, I…"

"Spit it out!"

Hiccup cringed. "Y-yes, master. I mean…I knew them. They're from my old tribe" he answered, his expression one of abject shame.

 _Old tribe? Knew us?_ "Hiccup, it's us! Your friends. It's me, Astrid! Toothless, you recognise us, don't you boy?" Astrid asked hopefully. The dragon looked at her longingly, but glanced nervously at Drago. Astrid glared at the warlord.

Drago chuckled darkly. "Your friend belongs to me now" he informed her, before snapping an order at Hiccup. "Show them!"

Hiccup tensed, hung his head in shame. He turned to face Astrid and the others without looking at them, and tugged down the collar of his dirt-brown tunic. Astrid gasped; for imprinted on Hiccup's collarbone was a brand, a slavemark. The initials 'DB' underneath, as if he were nothing more than Bludvists property.

"Throw the prisoners overboard" Drago ordered. His men began dragging the struggling riders and Eret away; Hiccup's head snapped up in alarm, eyes wide.

"No! Please, don't – master, please don't hurt them!" he begged desperately, "You have their dragons, they're harmless now!"

"Silence!" Drago roared. Hiccup shrank back against Toothless, cowering. The sight made Astrid's blood boil, and she struggled harder. If her hands weren't bound she'd rush over there and drag Hiccup away from that man herself!

He motioned for the soldiers to stop hauling them away, and scowled down at Hiccup. "Have the Night Fury end _him_ " he ordered, levelling his bull hook at Eret, "and I'll spare the rest."

" _What?_ " Eret yelled in alarm, "Drago, you can't! I'm on your side!"

Drago rounded on him, furious. "You led dragon riders right to my camp! You're a traitor. And you're expendable" he declared callously. "I sentence you to death! Do it, dragon. Now!" And he slammed the bull hook down so hard the whole deck trembled beneath their feet. Several hunters grabbed a horrified Eret, restraining him and using him as a human shield at the same time.

Astrid stared at Hiccup in horror. Surely, he wouldn't? "I'm sorry…Toothless", he pointed with a shaking finger at Eret, who was begging for mercy, frantic. "Kill."

Toothless clearly didn't want to do it; but he prepared a blast, aiming right at Eret. The other riders shouted in protest, but there was nothing anyone could do. To get in the way would be death. Astrid expected Hiccup to do something, to make Toothless stop; but he just stood there, fists clenched, eyes averted. Then, out of nowhere, fire rained down from the sky.

Everyone ducked for cover as Stormfly swooped in and flamed at Toothless, startling him into releasing the blast. The two flames struck and burst outwards, knocking some of them off their feet. Stormfly landed in the flames and butted the warriors restraining Eret out of the way, roaring defiantly. Darts struck her all over and she slumped to the deck. "Stormfly!" Astrid cried out. Eret stared at the Nadder in disbelief…she had just saved his life, and risked her own to do so.

Hiccup was babbling, frantic. "I'm sorry, master! I didn't – we tried – the Nadder, it just" –

"No excuses!" Drago bellowed, advancing on him and Toothless with bull hook raised. "Get out of my sight! Both of you!" Clearly terrified, Hiccup scrambled away and fled. Toothless followed him, but he looked back and met Astrid's gaze, once, before slinking after Hiccup. The message was clear. _Help us._

* * *

With his ultimatum ruined, Drago's men fell back on his previous order to have them all thrown overboard. "So, drowning in freezing water. Who wants to go first?" Snotlout asked sarcastically.

"Uh, speaking of horrible deaths" said Tuffnut, "is anyone going to mention the Buffalord in the room?"

"You mean how Hiccup came back to life?" his twin inquired.

"He didn't come back to life" Astrid pointed out tersely.

"But he" –

"He was never dead! They faked his death and they took him away. They _enslaved_ him." Gods, the sight of that brand on Hiccup's skin was seared into her mind's eye the way his – _not his_ – headless corpse had been. She should have been happy – Hiccup was _alive –_ but all Astrid could think was that they should have known, that they had abandoned him when he needed them most.

She was jerked out of her guilty reverie when rough hands grabbed her and pushed her up onto the plank jutting out over the back of the ship. _Are they seriously making us walk the plank?_ Eret was ahead of her. "Looks refreshing" he said blithely, eyeing the frothing, dark water below. "Ladies first."

Astrid glared at the backstabbing smarmy git. "You are a steaming heap of dragon" –

" _Duck_."

On instinct, she obeyed. He made a high kick over her and managed to disarm the spear-holding warrior behind her, break through his ropes, and spun her around to cut through the ones binding her wrists. Thus freed, she leapt on the hunters in the way, knocking them to the deck. Eret took care of the others, but one ran off to warn Drago. Eret was just about to dart him when –

A dark haired youth stepped out and punched him square in the face, knocking him out. The teenager rubbed his knuckles, and stepped towards them with a serious expression on his face. "Who the heck are you?" Astrid demanded.

He stopped and looked her in the eyes. "My name is Adulfr…my father is the one who took your friend."


	13. Chapter 13 - Bid for Freedom

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Thirteen – Bid for Freedom

To call Hiccup shocked would be an understatement. He had thought, for a moment, that he must have gone mad. To see Astrid; to hear her voice again; he'd longed for it, all this time, but now that it had actually happened he could hardly believe it. Their friends had found them. At last, at last!

What must they have thought, seeing him reduced to _this?_ Hiccup had felt so ashamed when Drago ordered him to show the brand that marked him as his master's property. Now they knew – he was a thrall, he was worthless, beyond help. Why had they even come here? It hardly mattered now. What hurt the most was knowing that they were prisoners condemned to death.

They couldn't save him. He could not save them. So cruel of the gods to shine this glint of hope into the darkness only to have it immediately snuffed out. Hiccup didn't know if he could bear the knowledge that his friends were going to die. Of course, he couldn't hide this despair from the one closest to his heart. Toothless gave him a discrete nuzzle, and asked *Hiccup, love, what's wrong?*

Hiccup quickly checked that nobody was around. "They're gonna die, Toothless" he whispered, voice shaking. "All my friends…they're probably being ex-executed right now…" He choked back a sob and wrapped his arms around himself. A brief but gory image of his friends without their heads flashed through his mind, a glimpse of one of many nightmares he'd had.

Toothless was having none of it. *Then let's go rescue them* he declared, turning to go back up to the deck and protect the riders (and that other human, to make up for being made to nearly kill him. Thank the Moon for Stormfly…). Alarmed, Hiccup reached out to stop him. "No! Toothless, I – I wish we could, but there's nothing we can do! If I interfere, we'll get punished!"

*If we do nothing, our friends might die* Toothless countered, *and you don't want that. I know you don't, or you wouldn't have told Drago to spare them.*

"I didn't tell him to do anything. I can't. I begged him to stop and he said he would if you killed the traitor. But you didn't, because Stormfly got in the way, and it's pointless because they're all going to die now anyway! Can…can we?" he pleaded, guilt and despair eating away at him. "I don't think I can go on, knowing they're dead…I'd rather be with them…"

At that point, Toothless had enough. He had sworn to never let Hiccup feel again that he wanted to die. *Listen to me. Our friends are not going to die.*

"But Drago" –

*They're clever and capable, _just like you_ , and they'll work together to save themselves. Hiccup, this is our chance to escape! We can go home!* Toothless gave a gummy smile, ear fins perked up, looking more hopeful than he had for weeks. He hadn't expected this at all, but he'd be foolish not to pounce. Yet Hiccup wasn't hopeful; he was scared. Terrified, even.

"No, no…" he shook his head, "we…we can't…Toothless, you heard Drago! If I disobey, I'll never see you again and I'll…they'll…" his breaths began to get faster, eyes wide but pupils shrunk, "th-they're gonna…no, I can't, not again, _please_ …!" He couldn't breathe – they were closing in – he could _feel_ them –

*Hiccup, breathe* insisted Toothless, pushing his muzzle into Hiccup's hand and then over the young man's chest. His other half clutched at him and gasped, trembling, eyes wide but unseeing. *I know you're scared* he continued, purring deliberately, *I know you feel helpless. But you're not going to lose me. You're not going to get raped again. We're going to get out of here. I promise.*

On the verge of tears, Hiccup scrubbed furiously at his eyes. Why did he have to be so weak? He wanted desperately to believe Toothless, but… "What if we don't?" he whispered, "What if they do get killed, what if we get caught?"

*Then we'll be stars. If we don't escape, we'll get out the only other way we can. _If,_ Hiccup. We have to escape… or die trying.*

"B-but what if dragons go to a different afterlife?"

*Now you're just being silly* Toothless chided, but gently. *Of course we'll go to the same afterlife. And if we don't, then I'll just come and find whichever afterlife you _are_ in and after-live with you there. And we'll go after-flying, and make after-friends, and eat lots of after-fish* he declared firmly, if ridiculously. Hiccup giggled a little, which had been the idea all along. *That's better.*

"Maybe I am being a bit paranoid. Can you blame me?"

*I don't. But we still have to try. One way or another, we're going to get out.*

Hiccup took a deep breath. "Okay, bud. I trust you. What do we need to do?"

*Don't worry. I've been thinking about this already, and I have a plan…*

* * *

The moment those words left his mouth, Adulfr was slammed against the nearest vertical surface by Astrid. Her eyes were pools of blue fire as she demanded, "Your father. Where is he?"

"Aboard his ship, but you won't get to him now" Adulfr replied. Astrid was ready to strangle him until he added, "The whole armada is heading to another dragon nest to take it over. It will give you the perfect opportunity to attack."

Astrid was suspicious. "Why are you helping us?" she questioned, "You don't even know who we are! I'm warning you, if this is some kind of trap…"

A jumpy Eret hissed, "Hey! Whilst she interrogates this guy, can the rest of you do something useful and help me hide the bodies before someone finds us?"

"Good idea" agreed Astrid, "Ruff, you're on lookout. And I mean for hunters, not Eret's muscles."

"Aw, man!"

Adulfr protested, "All I need to know is that you're dragon riders. I didn't risk stowing on this ship for your sakes; I was looking for Hiccup. If you must know, I overheard my father say something…unfortunate, about me, and I have my pride. I planned to persuade Hiccup and his Night Fury to help me overthrow my father…but you clearly want him gone as well, so we should work together."

Eyes narrowed, Astrid leaned in and warned him, "If you double cross us in any way, I am going to pin you to an actual cross with _knives_. We're here to rescue Hiccup and Toothless; whatever issues you have with your father are gonna have to wait, and as for 'overthrowing' him…I don't give a damn why _you_ want him dead, but if anyone deserves to end him, it's us. No, them."

"Then I'll leave his fate in your hands. Perhaps it's better that way" Adulfr reasoned. After all, if _he_ were to kill his father, some might call him an illegitimate chief; but if these dragon riders did it, there would be no problem.

"So what's the plan?" asked Snotlout, once they were done hiding the bodies of the hunters they'd knocked out. According to Eret, since the darts were potent enough to keep dragons down, they'd last quite a while on a human.

"First we need to get our dragons" said Astrid.

"I'll help you" said Eret, "I know these ships and traps better than you do."

"Okay, I love you again" Ruffnut beamed at him. Astrid glared at her until she went back to keeping watch and remarked, "You were pretty eager to sell us out to Drago earlier. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I don't feel like working for Drago anymore. Can't really figure out why" Eret replied sarcastically. "Besides, the week I spent as your prisoner…was torture, especially with", he jabbed a finger at Ruffnut, who fortunately wasn't looking, "but I saw how you and your dragons worked together. And then that Nadder of yours saved my life…I want to return the favour."

Astrid nodded. "Right. We find our dragons, wait until the fleet stops again, and then we bust out and do what we do best – take out hunters and free dragons. We'll board…what's your father's name?" she asked Adulfr.

"Hauke. His ship is called the _Black Death._ "

"Cheery. We'll board the Black Death, take out the hunters and capture your father alive."

"There are people on that ship who aren't hunters" Adulfr pointed out, "What will you do with them?"

"Tell them to stay out of the way. As for you, find Hiccup and tell him we're getting him out of here. Try and get him out of wherever they're keeping him and Toothless yourself, if you can."

Adulfr nodded silently. They split up, wary and cautious (even the twins, which was saying something) but feeling like, just maybe, luck was on their side.

* * *

Toothless was _ready._ His plan was simple, but quite brilliant, if he said so himself. They already knew that Drago wanted him to fight to take this new nest. The hunters had already made Hiccup forge him a set of Gronckle Iron armour, like that worn by many of the other enslaved dragons. It was times like this that Toothless was glad of his bond with Hiccup; he knew there was a dragon alpha of this dark flock, he had felt their Will urging him to submit and obey. If he focused on the heart bind, on Hiccup, it didn't hurt so much.

All Hiccup had to do was put his armour on at the last minute, and just when the dragons were released to wreak havoc on the nest, Hiccup would leap onto his back and he would fly up as swiftly as his kind ever could. It was their best chance to get out, in the madness of the fight. Hiccup was so nervous. Convinced that somebody would spot them, call him away, that they'd be shot down and imprisoned until Drago could deal with them after the battle.

Toothless did his best to be encouraging. He understood why Hiccup was afraid, but they couldn't let this chance slip away for fear that something _might_ go wrong. Besides, the hunters aboard Drago's cavernous ship were not as cruel or suspicious as the ones led by Hauke. They believed Hiccup to be broken in and, so long as he did as he was told and stayed quiet, they mostly left him be.

The plan hit a slight snag when Hiccup was made to put his armour on too soon, before the fleet had weighed anchor. Then the hunters led a reluctant Hiccup away. Toothless watched him leave, anxious. Their mental bond was still fragile, and he couldn't tell quite what Hiccup was thinking. Only that he feared not being able to come back in time. * _You can. You have to_ * Toothless tried to say.

The other armoured dragons were eager to fight, snapping and snarling at each other. Toothless could feel the weight of the Alpha's will pressing down on his mind, like a glacier crushing him. **Fight.** He resisted the command as much as he could. It would be easier with Hiccup beside him, on his shoulders. Humans and their indomitable wills were like a shield against the commands of an Alpha.

Much to his relief, Hiccup _did_ manage to return, just in the nick of time. He babbled apologies and excuses to the hunters, something about double checking Toothless' armour. His scent had changed, and Toothless sensed his relief. "They're alive" he whispered to Toothless, under the pretence of adjusting the chest plate. "Adulfr told me. They're still alive!"

*See? I told you they'd be fine. Are you ready to fly?* Toothless asked him, not bothering to wonder what the monsters Alphas son was doing there.

Hiccup gave him a small, nervous, but genuine smile. "As I'll ever be."

The ship rocked beneath them as it slowed and jerked against the anchor chain. "Thrall! Get out of there!" someone shouted. Hiccup stalled for as long as he could, but when the hunters began to approach Toothless snarled at them and coiled around Hiccup, keeping him where he was. He had sensed Hiccup's fear sneaking back to bite at him; if his other half retreated now it would be for real.

It would be for naught. Toothless herded him away from the hunters, using the larger, aggressive dragons around them to his advantage. He urged Hiccup, *Be brave. This is it. This is our chance!* With an ominous, creaking groan, the top of whatever it was they were hidden beneath cracked open. To see the star filled sky and the moon beyond filled Toothless with such joy he wanted to roar.

"Last chance, thrall!" the lead hunter yelled, "Get away from the dragons and come here – or there will be consequences!"

Hiccup stiffened briefly; then he blinked, and then he _laughed._ How many times had he said that exact thing? The memory drove his fear aside; the gap was open and already the other dragons were taking to the sky. **Fly. Fight** the Alpha commanded him. _Not without Hiccup._ Toothless braced himself for takeoff and snarled an urgent warning. *Now, Hiccup, now!*

"Don't you dare, thrall!" cried a hunter; but Hiccup dared. He climbed onto Toothless' back, clinging to the rings jutting from that wretched metal collar. The armour made for a hard, slippery, uncomfortable seat, but he held on with his knees and thighs, hunched down to keep them streamlined. As soon as Toothless felt that Hiccup was ready, he leapt with a great beat of his wings.

It was not his strongest downbeat; Hiccup was riding bareback, after all. He heard the hiss of arrows and darts, felt his rider cringe against his shoulders; but any projectiles that struck him simply glanced off the armour. The armour that the dragon hunters, that Drago, had wanted him to wear! The sheer irony of it made Toothless bellow in triumphant delight. *We did it, Hiccup! We're free!*

Best of all, as he climbed into the welcoming blackness of the night sky, Hiccup on his back where he belonged; as he banked and twisted past the other dragons, faster than all of them; he could sense Hiccup's emotions shift from fear, to exhilaration. They had both almost forgotten how good it felt to fly together, as one. He could hardly even hear the Alpha's commands anymore.

Hiccup held on tighter, and urged him, "Show 'em what you got, bud!" He folded his wings and dived upon the dragon hunters, screaming the battle roar that spiked fear into the hearts of many a Viking as his inner fire burst from his maw. The hunters scattered, shouting. The catapult exploded in a burst of glorious flames, and Hiccup cheered in excitement. "Yeah, hah! Come on!"

* * *

If the gods were on their side, then one deity must have been Loki, and only because of the chaos that was unleashed when Drago Bludvists' armada reached its' destination. Armoured dragons clashed with the wild ones, traps were heaved out onto the beach, net launchers and trebuchets were put to use battering the mountainous, icy nest and taking down the hunter's quarry.

Valka had been horrified to wake and find her greatest enemy attacking her home; but Stoick had sworn that he would help her. They were a team. She'd asked him and Gobber to help defend the nest whilst she roused the great King (an absolute behemoth of a dragon that they had briefly been introduced to earlier that night). That was exactly what he and Skull Crusher were doing.

He had already seen the bursts of purple-blue fire erupting all over the battlefield. Stoick was certain it was Toothless, if only because the blasts were being aimed at the hunters and not the wild dragons. If Drago had other Night Furies (now that was a terrifying thought), they wouldn't have turned on him so easily. He was proud of Toothless, but now wasn't the time to greet him.

Astrid and Stormfly came to fly alongside them, accompanied by a man Stoick didn't recognise. Judging by the expression on his face, he was new to flying. Astrid, on the other hand, was beaming from ear to ear. "Chief! He's alive! Hiccup is _alive_!" she shouted excitedly, all but jumping in the saddle.

"….WHAT?!"

"We saw him! Him and Toothless, they were on Drago's ship! Only…" Astrid's smile faded, "Chief, I don't know what they did to him, but it isn't good. They" – she was cut off by a tremendous rumble, as an absolutely massive dragon, the biggest she'd ever seen, burst out of the mountain. "What the Thor is _that_?!"

"The King of Dragons, apparently" Stoick answered, before pointing at Valka standing on Cloud Jumper in front of the King, "and that's my wife!"

"…What?!"

"Ha, ha! Hiccup isn't the only one who's come back from the dead tonight!" Stoick laughed. He believed Astrid, as incredible as it seemed – she would not lie to him. Not about something like this. _Hiccup is alive. Hiccup is alive, alive!_

"We're gonna go deal with the bastards who took Hiccup" said Astrid, before Stormfly banked away. Nearby, Stoick noticed another plasma blast destroy a net launcher, and felt he could burst with joy and pride. _That's my boys._

* * *

 _I must be out of my mind_ thought Adulfr, as he climbed. He was not having a good night. Instead of being securely in his cabin, or better yet out there fighting alongside his…Adulfr wasn't sure if he could call Hauke his father anymore. Either way, he shouldn't have been out in the middle of the night, in the middle of a battle, clambering up the rigging of a ship, in the dark.

He had managed to deliver the news of the other riders to Hiccup, who had been extremely relieved to learn his friends were still alive. Adulfr had wanted to get out of there with Hiccup, but his new friend had refused. "If someone sees you with me, they'll get suspicious" he'd said. That only left Adulfr with one recourse; to get somewhere high and wait for one of the other riders to come.

They had to; they needed him! He was the only one who knew which of the many ships was the _Black Death_. The plan had sounded simple in his head; climb the mast, try to reach the crow's nest or failing that, a yardarm. Get the attention of a dragon rider. Unfortunately, there were also armoured dragons, wild dragons and hunters to get the attention of as well. Thus did Adulfr find himself being _chased_ up the rigging by Drago's men.

He had no weapon to defend himself, and nowhere to go but up. Adulfr would never admit it, but he felt what must have been relief when one of the dragon riders, the stocky one called Snotlout, came flying close astride a Monstrous Nightmare. The dragon breathed tongues of fire at the hunters on the rigging below him, but that also set the rigging itself on fire. "Jump!" yelled Snotlout.

"I've definitely lost my mind" he muttered, bracing himself against what was left of his precarious perch and leaping across the gap to the Nightmare. Snotlout caught his arm, and helped drag him onto the dragon's neck. "Up, Hookfang!"

Adulfr felt his stomach flip as the Nightmare beat its – his – wings and flew out of range. The other dragon riders came to glide with them; Eret was riding with Astrid. "Which ship is it?!" she demanded.

"It's on the outskirts of the fleet! Black sail with two red crossed bones!"

They flew above the fleet, taking care to stay out of range. Soon, Adulfr spotted the familiar sail of the _Black Death._ "Down there!" he warned, pointing. The deck was lit with flaming torches, and there were hunters rushing about the deck, aiming net catapults at the sky to ensnare any dragon who flew too close.

"You and I will get in there and free the dragons" Astrid declared. As much as she'd love to tear these scumbags into pieces herself, it seemed fitting to let their captives have that vengeance. "Then we'll capture Hauke. The rest of you, keep the hunters busy!"

"Wait! See that hatch in the deck, next to the mast? There's two more, and they go all the way down to the dragon cages!" revealed Adulfr. "If you can get them open, that's their way out!"

"Gotcha! Fishlegs, Eret, that's on you!"

"You got it, Astrid!"

"Wait, what?! But I'm not a dragon rider!"

"You are now! This is it, guys! For Hiccup!" Astrid yelled; and with that battle cry, they dived. Fishlegs and Meatlug bravely took the vanguard, spewing globules of lava at the traps. The twins circled the ship, Barf breathing out loads of gas; Belch ignited it in a burst of fire, blinding and disorienting the hunters. Through the smoke, Astrid and Adulfr jumped down onto the deck. "This way!"

They ran for it. Astrid had her axe in hand, charging and swinging at the nearest hunter. She would not show any mercy to these wretches; they might not have killed Hiccup like she thought, but they had enslaved him, and for that they would die. The hunter went down and Adulfr snatched up his sword, rolling with it and coming up to block the blade of another, slashing his stomach open.

Adulfr led her over to the stern's pulley-cage. The first stop was the ship's armoury, with its four captive Gronckles. Nobody was there, and Astrid made short work of chopping through the chains with her Gronckle Iron axe. "I'll get the dragons out with their lava (1)" said Astrid, "you make sure everyone who isn't fighting is out of the way and safe!"

He rushed through the vessel, checking the sick bay and the barracks for non-combatants. Finally he reached the galley. Sure enough, the cooks, galley girls, cabin boys, the surgeon and Onarr were all present when he burst in. "This ship is being taken and we're freeing the dragons – if you want to survive, barricade the door and stay in here out of the way!"

They all stared at him in shock. Onarr protested, "You can't _do_ that"-

"I will do whatever I damn well please!" Adulfr barked as he strode past them all to the pulley-cage at the prow. "And don't even _think_ about trying to stop me" he glared at them as he stepped in and began to lower himself down. When he reached the lowest deck, he was slightly alarmed to find himself facing numerous dragons. Astrid was just opening the last of the cages.

The Gronckle with her spat lava on the lock, melting it, and she heaved the grate open. As the young Nightmare squirmed past, she looked over at Adulfr and asked, "Isn't there a way to open the hatches from down here?"

"I'm not sure – there might be a hidden lever or something" he replied. What he really wondered was how they were going to get to it with all these dragons everywhere…when there was a clanking noise, and the hatch began to open.

"Yes!" Astrid cheered, "Way to go, guys. Now let's go deal with your father."

"He's not my father anymore" Adulfr retorted. They heaved the pulley-cage back up to the galley, rushed through it (much to the alarm of everyone there), and made their way to Hauke's cabin. Astrid kicked the door in and…nobody was there. "Damn it! I should have known. He must be fighting onshore!"

"Then let's find him" Astrid said determinedly. They got out onto the top deck again, only to find Eret trying to fend off hunters from – "Stormfly!" With a roar, Astrid charged to her dragon's defence. Adulfr followed, diving into the fray, and found himself crossing swords with the ship's captain, Gunnhild.

"What – Adulfr? What are you doing?" the older man demanded, incredulous.

"Something I should have done a long time ago" he snapped back. Adulfr fought as fiercely as he could, but he was only a teenager going up against a seasoned warrior. It wasn't long before Gunnhild disarmed him, but then out of nowhere, the Captain was sent flying and slamming into the mast by a dragon's tail.

Blaze, Emrel, Libon, Topaz – all of the dragons crawled and flew out of the hatches, flaming and roaring. Eret and Astrid got the net off of Stormfly and onto the hunters fighting them; Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins had destroyed all of their arrows and catapults. "Let this be a lesson to you scum!" shouted Astrid to the deck at large, "You mess with one of us, you get all of us!"

The dragon riders flew away, leaving the hunters of the Blood Bone tribe, weaponless and stranded, at the mercy of the dragons they had captured. It was Blaze, the young Nightmare who only ever wanted to go home to his dam – it was Blaze who lunged first, body aflame, and the hunters screamed…

* * *

Drago was utterly _furious._ Not only had those dragon riders and that traitorous bastard Eret managed to escape, but so had the Night Fury and that thrall! When he got his hands on them, he would beat the dragon with his bull hook until it could barely move, and then he'd take the thrall away and have him flogged until he couldn't move, and throw them both in separate cages!

He was pleased when a dragon was shot down nearby – and not just any dragon, but the Stormcutter ridden by a thorn in his side. It would be good to get rid of her, and he stared at her menacingly, as she faced him with her quarterstaff held defensively in front of her. "You cannot take our dragons!" she shouted at him, defiant as ever, "They are controlled by the Alpha!"

"Then it's a good thing I brought a challenger" Drago retorted. He turned his back on the dragon woman, faced the ocean and bellowed at the top of his lungs, swinging his bull hook around above his head. If anyone else had done it, they would have looked ridiculous – when Drago made the summons, it was terrifying. Especially when it worked, and out of the waves reared…

A second Bewilderbeast, smaller than the first but not too much, flaky grey scales covered in scars and with shackles on his tusks. "Fight!" Drago screamed at it, "Destroy the Alpha!"

"No!" the woman cried, in fear or rage, it didn't matter. She tried to attack him, foolishly – he knocked her feet out from under her and put his boot on her stomach, pinning her down. She gasped as he flicked that stupid helmet off and raised the pointed end of his hook, ready to stab down and end her once and for all…when something large and heavy shoved and knocked him off balance.

Stoick helped Valka to her feet with a gentle hand, and she smiled gratefully as she rubbed her stomach. "Thank you, love."

"For you, my dear…anything" he promised. Stoick and Drago faced off, as the two leviathans amongst dragons bellowed at each other and clashed their tusks. "Hiccup is alive, Val" Stoick told her, "He's with Toothless. Watch over them."

"I will" she replied, determined not to let her son down again. "Come on, Cloud Jumper!" she urged her dragon, throwing the net off him and swinging herself up to his shoulders. Meanwhile, Stoick twirled his hammer and prepared to fight Bludvist, one on one. The madman would _pay_ for everything he'd done.

Drago, for his part, thought he could goad Stoick into making a mistake. As they circled each other, he remarked " _I_ have your boy, imprisoned on my ship."

Stoick wasn't buying it; he knew Drago's tactics, to prey on fear. "We'll rescue him. Your henchmen's scheme failed; my son is alive, and I'll get him back."

"He's going to wish he were dead when I'm through with the runt" Drago taunted, "As usual I have to do everything myself; but mark my words, Stoick. When I'm done breaking him, your son will be a most obedient thrall."

Stoick's eyes narrowed. So that was what they had done to Hiccup – enslaved him. He made the first move, at last. This fight was _personal._

* * *

Hiccup was just as surprised and alarmed as anyone else when the second Sea-Giant (at least, that was what Toothless told him they were called, apparently they were legendary even amongst dragons) emerged from beneath the water, knocking aside ships as it dragged itself up on shore. "There are _two of them_?"

*Moon and stars; _that_ is the Alpha of Drago's army! No wonder his commands were so painful to resist!*

"That explains the headache – net!" Hiccup yelled, leaning to the left. He clung on tight as Toothless barrel rolled and the net that was about to ensnare them missed. "That was a bit too close!"

*Hiccup, if that dark Sea-Giant wins this Challenge, all of these dragons will be under his command. Once Drago has this nest, he's going to attack Berk. We have to stop this, tonight!* Toothless urged him, even as they dodged fighting dragons and watched the two Alphas struggle with each other.

"How?! You told me Challenges were one on one, or every dragon could get involved!" Hiccup protested.

*Every dragon here is already involved!*

"Good point. So what do we do?"

*First we find our friends. We can't do this alone* Toothless insisted.

He could sense Hiccup's reluctance. "No…Toothless, I can't. I can't face them, not like this. Not again."

*Hiccup, we're _free_. And they'd help us even if we weren't! Be brave.*

 _Can you be the brave human I know you are?_

 _Yeah, bud. Anything for you._ Hiccup took a deep breath. "Let's find Astrid."

When they tracked her down, it took all of Hiccup's meagre confidence to look at her. He expected Astrid to look at him with pity, or worse, with scorn. Instead he found only delight. "It is so good to see you!" she beamed at him. Gods, she was just as beautiful as he remembered. Hiccup found himself smiling back.

"You too. Astrid, we need to stop that dragon!" he told her, pointing at the grey Sea-Giant. "If he wins, so does Drago!"

"So what's the plan?"

"…You're asking _me_?" Hiccup asked incredulously. Why would she trust him to come up with a plan? His plans recently had turned out terrible!

"Who else?"

"…Um, maybe if we work together, combine our firepower…we can distract him? The armoured dragons, I think he's controlling them – maybe we can snap them out of it?" Hiccup suggested tentatively.

Astrid gave a decisive nod. "I'll round up the others. You and Toothless start trying to distract him!" With that, she and Stormfly darted away. Toothless spotted a Twin-Head caught in a trap. *Hold on tight!* he warned, diving to the rescue. The two headed dragon screeched out a *Thank you!* after they blasted the trap off and he could fly away.

It was a wonder Hiccup wasn't deafened by the thudding of his heart and the cacophony of the battle all around them. He could hear the dragons too, their screams for help and roars of defiance, he could understand every word. He wanted to save them all but there were just too many. Toothless was right as always, the only way to win for sure was to defeat the dark grey Sea-Giant.

Speaking of the Alphas, they were the loudest, both their fighting and their thought-speak. It wasn't even words, really, but sensations, so powerful were their minds. * _ **DEFEND**_ **!*** the White Sea-Giant bellowed, * _ **PROTECT NEST, FLOCK, SELF!**_ **COURAGE! RESIST!*** He roared as he shoved at his rival and the aggressive Sea-Giant shoved at him, their tusks rattling against each other.

* **FIGHT! OBEY!** _ **FEAR-OF-PAIN!**_ _*_ the dark Alpha screamed back. Hiccup frowned. Something didn't seem right. Before he could think too much on it, Toothless swept down and blasted the grey Alpha near the eyes. He recoiled, and the white Alpha pressed the advantage, forcing him back a step. * **ATTACK!** * roared the grey Sea-Giant, angry, but it wasn't his rival that he was talking to, or about.

"Look out!" Hiccup yelled, as several armoured dragons began chasing and flaming at them. Toothless dodged the attacks and circled around for another strike, but they just kept hounding him. Then out of nowhere, or so it seemed, one of the wild dragons – a huge, four winged kind – attacked their attackers, knocking one out of the sky with a powerful kick and breathing fire at the rest.

There was someone on the dragon's back, Hiccup thought, wearing a strange looking helmet. He braced himself as they dived and Toothless shot at the grey Sea-Giant again. They were little more than a fly buzzing around the face of a yak; Toothless' blasts were annoying the Sea-Giant more than anything else. He broke away from the white Alpha to breathe a torrent of ice at them instead.

Toothless dodged the frozen deluge, but only just. As he swerved, Hiccup lost his death grip on the collar and was thrown off, tumbling down. "Toothless!" he screamed as he plummeted, "Help!"

*Hold on!* Toothless dived after him and scooped him up, but they couldn't pull out of the dive in time to avoid getting hit by a net. Except that they didn't, because the Four-Wing who had saved them from the armoured dragons also blasted the net that would have hit them before they could evade it. *I don't know who they are, but I like them!* Toothless remarked as they climbed.

He flew over the white Alpha's head, where Astrid and the others had gathered. Seeing them all there, looking to him as the leader, made Hiccup feel incredibly self-conscious and right at home all at the same time. _I can't let them down._

"Astrid said we were fighting that big one!" Tuffnut declared eagerly, "How?!"

Hiccup had some semblance of a plan, at least. "By annoying him until he gives up" he replied, "that's the most we can do."

"Cool!" Ruffnut grinned, "We're really annoying! It's our specialty, ask anyone!"

"We don't need to" Snotlout retorted. "So how do we annoy him, exactly?"

 _Just be yourself_ Hiccup was tempted to snark. He flinched as if about to be hit, closed his eyes and opened them again. "Same as with the Red Death. Distract him; get into his blind spot and make noise, just – anything you can think of! But err, stay away from his ice blasts, and um…Astrid, can you and Stormfly help me and Toothless keep the armoured dragons away? He'll just set them on us."

"Of course we can – you don't have to ask!" Astrid exclaimed, as if it were obvious. She was worried about Hiccup; he'd lost so much of his confidence.

"Yes, ma'am" he answered reflexively, before looking away, embarrassed. "I mean…thanks. Okay, here goes nothing." And thus, they attacked.

* * *

Stoick was giving it everything he had, but Drago was a formidable opponent. Of course, the chief of Berk would expect nothing less, but that didn't mean it wasn't inconvenient. "Give up!" Drago snarled at him, "You cannot win!"

"I was going to say the same thing about you!" Stoick retorted, bracing himself as Drago shoved at him. Any sense of nuance had been thrown aside, and now the two of them were simply trying to batter each other to the ground. Despite Stoick's best efforts, Drago forced the war-hammer out of his hands. Then he seized Stoick by his shoulders and threw him back against a mound of ice.

Winded, Stoick struggled to his feet as Drago advanced, bull hook raised to impale him…He could only imagine the warlord was just as surprised when a large, rust coloured dragon dropped out of the sky and flattened him.

"Gobber!"

"Ha! Atta boy, Grump!" Stoick's best friend beamed. "We're all helpin' Hiccup help the big white one win his fight. You coming?" he asked Stoick.

"Does Thor wield a hammer?" Stoick responded as he retrieved his own weapon and mounted Skull Crusher. Drago was actually shoving Grump off of himself before the two Hooligans flew away; he spat out snow and struggled to his feet, using his hook as a crutch, and glared furiously after them.

Stoick could see the firelight glinting off of Toothless' armour, and make out Hiccup clinging to his dragon's back. He didn't even have a proper saddle. Stoick's heart leapt to see his son for the first time in two months; he took in Hiccup's close cropped hair and plain, dark brown clothes. It reminded him of the thralls in Raudabein. _When I get my hands on the coward that took him…_

The more pressing concern was that Hiccup and Toothless were being harassed by armoured dragons. Skull Crusher and Stoick charged to the rescue, but before they could reach the struggling pair, Cloud Jumper and a few other of the wild dragons got there first. By the time Stoick caught up, Toothless had already darted away and flown over the white Bewilderbeast's head.

He roared, and all of the ridden dragons rallied around him. With no input from their riders, in almost perfect unison, they blasted the grey Bewilderbeast in the face. The white one kept their tusks locked together, trapping his rival. More and more of the wild dragons joined the onslaught, and as the grey Bewilderbeast was distracted, the dragons he controlled began to help as well.

Hiccup was troubled, though. He thought the grey Sea-Giant would have surrendered by now, but if anything he was fighting even more aggressively. He even breathed ice right in the King's face, nearly suffocating him if the dragons hadn't melted and blasted it off. * **DIE!** * he bellowed, sounding desperate, * **DIE!** _ **NO SURRENDER! FEAR-OF-PAIN!**_ * he wailed, all but deafening.

 _Fear of pain? Fear of_ …suddenly, Hiccup remembered telling Toothless to kill someone he'd never met – resisted giving Toothless food – sworn not to escape from Hauke – all for _fear of pain!_ "Toothless! Stop! Hold your fire!"

Surprised, the black dragon did so. The other dragons nearby stopped as well, having heard Hiccup's shout. "What's wrong?!" asked Astrid.

Of course; the others couldn't understand the dragons. "It's not his fault!" Hiccup told Astrid frantically, "He's scared!"

"What, of us?"

"No, of Drago! I should've have realised – don't you get it? He's like me! He's a, a" –

"THRALL!"

It was Drago – he must have ridden or been carried by one of his army dragons, because now he was standing on the grey Bewilderbeast's crown. He looked small compared to the enormous dragon, and yet Hiccup still felt afraid. He clapped his hands over his mouth, not in shock, but to resist the urge to say "Yes, master?" He didn't want to say it, but at the same time he did. _What is wrong with me?_

"I warned you, thrall! You disobeyed me – now you will _never_ see the Night Fury again!" Drago thundered. He struck the Sea-Giant with his bull hook and thrust it at Toothless, demanding "Take control of it!"

At once, the grey Sea-Giant focused his gaze on Toothless. His pupils turned to slits and his spines vibrated as he slammed his Will into the smaller dragon. * **SUBMIT**! **OBEY**!* he ordered. Toothless screamed with the effort of resisting; Hiccup screamed as well, feeling like his skull was caving in. Then the unbearable pressure was lifted when the dragons around them blasted Drago's Bewilderbeast again, distracting him. Toothless-Hiccup barely stayed in the air.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to my son that way!"

"…Dad?"

"He is not your son, anymore! He is a thrall! He is _worthless_!"

"No, he isn't!"

"…Astrid."

"The boy belongs to _me_!"

"He belongs with us!"

That voice, he didn't recognise, but Hiccup felt his jaw drop as all his friends joined in. They defied Drago, proudly declaring that Hiccup was one of them, a dragon rider, an heir, the Hero of Berk. That he was loyal, clever, loving, brave. Hiccup was so touched he felt like he could cry. _They care. They still care!_

"ENOUGH!" roared Drago. "I control the Alpha! I am the _god_ of Dragons!" he bellowed, all but frothing at the mouth. He sounded completely insane. "You useless reptile! _Win_!" he roared, raising his bull hook and swinging it to stab the pointed end down on the grey Bewilderbeasts scales. Instead it was shot out of his hands by a plasma blast. Toothless roared, and all of the dragons fired again, this time at Drago.

He swept his dragonskin cloak around himself as a shield, but as the grey Sea-Giant tried to retreat, he stumbled and lost his footing. His Bewilderbeast tried to catch Drago, but his tusks were still locked with the Kings, so he panicked. He breathed a burst of ice at the ground between their paws – spiked ice. Before anyone could do anything, Drago had been impaled, his bull hook buried.

Hiccup flinched and looked away from the gruesome sight; instead he looked back up at the grey Sea-Giant, who had wrenched himself free of the King and was backing away, making a terrible low wail. * _ **KILLED MASTER. GUILT LOSS FEAR-OF-PAIN**_ * he moaned, eyes fixed on Drago's corpse. Hiccup's heart twisted for him. The poor dragon was better off without Drago, but still…

He was determined to fix this one thing. "Toothless, get me closer" Hiccup murmured. The dragon looked uncertain, but did as he was asked. Ignoring everyone else asking what they were doing, telling them to come back, Hiccup and Toothless flew right up to the grey Sea-Giant. He looked up at them and his eyes narrowed, recognising them. * **MADE BEAST KILL MASTER**.*

"I know, I'm sorry. It was an accident" Hiccup apologised, holding a hand out placatingly. "No threat…we're not gonna hurt you."

*Please don't hurt us* Toothless deadpanned. The larger dragon seemed too confused to attack, so Hiccup pressed on. "I know you're scared. I know why. But Drago can't hurt you anymore. You're…you're free." He didn't know who he was trying to convince, the Sea-Giant or himself.

Beast actually whimpered. He bowed his head to them, and to the King behind, then turned and waded into the water. As he left, the remnants of Drago's army fled when they realised their leader was killed, and the dragons were no longer fighting for them. As the sun rose fully, the ships began to sail away, and Beast's wake disappeared into the waves that swept up the battered shoreline.

It was over. After all this time, their living nightmare was _finally_ over.

* * *

(1) I know the dragon-proof metal in the show is supposedly resistant to lava, but this is the same show that makes dragons able to breathe fire underwater when it's convenient for them (wtf) so I'd like to be just a little bit more realistic about this.


	14. Chapter 14 - Reunited

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Fourteen – Reunited

Toothless landed gingerly on the beach, relieved to have a chance to fold his wings. Hiccup winced as he dismounted. He wasn't half sore, especially in places he didn't like to mention…it turned out that riding without a saddle, or safety straps, on a piece of metal was rather painful. Who'd have figured?

He heard footsteps behind them, crunching on the snow, and a familiar voice, breathless. "Hiccup." He stiffened…and slowly turned around. Stoick was standing there, with a woman he didn't recognise, both of them staring at him as if they were seeing him for the first time.

With great trepidation, Hiccup met his father's eyes. And instead of the shame, or disappointment, or anger that he feared…he only saw love, and relief. The same relief, he realised, that was coursing through him. "Dad" he gasped out. He stumbled forwards, then staggered, then threw himself into his father's arms. Valka hugged him, and Stoick wrapped his arms around them both.

"You're alive" he murmured, holding them close. "Oh, gods. You're _both alive_."

He was never letting them go.

"I'm sorry, dad" Hiccup said tearfully, his voice muffled in Stoick's beard. "I'm so sorry!"

"Aye. I'm sorry too, son."

 _Son?_ "You still…I'm still your son?" Hiccup asked timidly.

Stoick pulled back to look at him properly. "What sort of question is that? Of course you are, why wouldn't you be?"

Hiccup hung his head, ashamed. "I'm a thrall" he said dully, tugging down his collar to reveal the slavemark branded on his shoulder. Valka gasped at the sight, and Stoick clenched his fist. "I can't be your heir…you're supposed to disown me…" he protested weakly.

"Why in the name of Odin's soiled skivvies would he disown you over that?"

Stoick gave Gobber a disapproving frown. The blacksmith winced a bit and agreed, "Ah. Right. Not the time…as you were."

Shaking his head in exasperation, Stoick reached out and gently lifted Hiccup's chin, making the young man look at him. "Listen to me. You will _always_ be my son, and you are not a thrall. No brand or mark will ever change that."

"He's right. Your father and I love you, Hiccup, and we are so proud of you" Valka interjected, smiling at him. It faded a little when her son looked at her without recognition, and she realised that of course, he wouldn't remember or recognise her. She was a complete stranger to him.

Hiccup blinked. This woman had been riding the Four-Wing, he thought he recognised her clothes…she and her dragon had protected him and Toothless. "I…I'm sorry, ma'am" he said uncertainly, "sh-should I…know you?"

Valka sighed. "No…you were only a babe." She met her son's confused gaze and finished, "but a mother never forgets."

Hiccup's eyes widened in disbelief. Stoick chuckled softly and put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Aye, son. I'd like you to meet your mother, Valka."

"…My…mom?" Hiccup murmured wonderingly. This woman was his mother, she was alive, and she loved him and she was proud of him and she rode a dragon…was he dreaming? If so, he hoped he'd never wake up. He swallowed and began to smile, cautiously, but before he could…

"How _touching._ "

That sneering voice, dripping with contempt, chilled Hiccup to the bone. The tentative smile on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by wide eyed horror. _No. It can't be – not now – we got out –_ "No, please – Master, I'm sorry, please don't! – no!" Hiccup pleaded, seeing and hearing only threats of being flogged, raped, starved, having his eye gouged out…Valka caught him as his legs buckled and he almost fell to his knees, shaking all over and gasping for breath.

Toothless rounded on Hauke, snarling viciously as he put himself between the monster and his Hiccup. Now there were no chains, no muzzle, nothing to hold him back. Hauke was the one in chains, that bound his hands behind his back; he was being frogmarched between Adulfr and the stranger Toothless had nearly been forced to kill. He looked murderous, but that would soon change.

Sure enough, the moment he heard Hiccup say 'master', Stoick saw red. He marched forwards and grabbed Hauke around the throat, lifting him clear off the ground with one hand. "You!" he snarled, "You're the _nithingr_ who took my son from me!" Hiccup had panicked just at the sight of this man, begged for mercy, called him – gods, what had this coward _done_ to his boy?

Meanwhile, his wife and Toothless were comforting Hiccup, who clung to his dragon like a lifeline. The dark haired youth who had brought Hiccup's captor to them stepped towards him boldly. "Don't worry, Hiccup. Hauke won't be hurting you or Toothless anymore" he declared firmly.

Hiccup looked up, hastily rubbing away tears. "A…Adulfr? What are you doing?"

"I think, for once, I might be doing the right thing" replied Adulfr. He turned and looked up at his father, stone faced. "I heard what you said. How I was more use as a slave than as a son. My whole life, I tried to be worthy of you…but that was a waste of time. I've had a whole week to think about this. I've seen how Hiccup and his dragon care for each other, the way you never cared for me.

"If you think I'm more use as a slave than a son, then I'm not going to be either. Goodbye, father" Adulfr said coldly. He looked back at Hiccup, took a deep breath and added "Now if you'll excuse me…I don't think I want to watch this." With that, he turned on his heel and marched towards the ocean. Eret edged away as well, giving the Night Fury a wide berth.

Stoick broke the silence first. "If that's how you treated your own son, I'd hate to be you when I find out how you treated mine" he glared at Hauke.

The dragon hunter rasped out, "I improved him."

"You enslaved him!"

"But I didn't kill him" Hauke retorted, as if it made a difference.

"No…" Hiccup said slowly, without raising his head. "You killed your first slave and replaced him with me. You had your men treat me like dirt, you had me flogged, you let them" – he choked off, hands clenching into fists – "you made Toothless pull your stupid ship, you starved him…" He looked up at Hauke. "You didn't kill me. You just made me wish I was dead." Hiccup's gaze was dark.

Valka stared at her son and his dragon in horror, shocked by how much they had suffered. With every cruelty Hiccup spoke of, Stoick's grip had tightened around Hauke's neck until the man was choking, face red and eyes bulging. "I've heard enough. Toothless, do you want a piece of him before I finish the job?" Stoick inquired of the Night Fury, who glanced uncertainly at Hiccup.

His other half nodded. "Go on, bud. I know you've been wanting to do this since the monsters took us away…now's your chance." Hiccup had never wanted him to maul someone before, much less encouraged him to. Still, he had permission, and Toothless knew _exactly_ how he would punish Hauke for all he had done.

Stoick punched Hauke in the midriff and sent him flying into the snow. "He's all yours" the Chief informed Toothless, who gathered himself up and leapt. He pinned the monster under his claws and snarled, blasting away Hauke's left spaulder with a well aimed plasma blast. Then he savaged the man's tunic and tore it away to reveal bare skin. Hauke gasped for breath and struggled.

"Is that all you've g-AAAAAH!" Hauke screamed when Toothless breathed white hot flames on his shoulder, burning skin and scorching flesh. He flipped Hauke over and tore off the backplate before scoring bloody gashes onto his back, over and over again. He pounded Hauke with his paws, tossed his screaming victim like a rag doll, tore off the armour and blasted Hauke's stomach with fire.

He blasted off more armour on Hauke's arms and legs with small plasma blasts, then savagely tore and bit at him until the snow all around was stained crimson. Hauke screamed and begged for mercy, but that only enraged the dragon even more, and he beat the hunter bloody. Everyone, humans and dragons alike, watched the grisly scene unfold with horrified fascination, unable to look away.

Toothless' anger fed into Hiccup and vice versa, in a loop that had his fists clenched and heart pounding. His eyes widened when Toothless' back spines began to glow bright blue. _Fury's Fire!_ So it was a real thing, not one imagined. Toothless reared up, wings spread for balance, and charged a plasma blast, his biggest yet, aiming right at Hauke's head…but instead it struck the ground.

Toothless dropped back to his paws and stepped aside. He panted and looked up at Stoick. With his slit pupils, the blood on his claws and fangs, and that mysterious light shining from his spines, he looked more than ever like the _unholy offspring of lightning and death itself._ Toothless gestured with a wing at Hauke, who seemed half-dead already, groaning in agony, and nodded.

The chief returned a solemn nod of his own. He would end this miserable creature, for his son, and for the poor man who had been sacrificed for the monster's sadistic plan to steal his only child away. "Astrid, I'll need your axe."

She handed it over at once. The glow on Toothless faded as he returned to Hiccup, who welcomed him with open arms. Stoick marched forwards, bent down and grasped the front of Hauke's bloodstained tunic. He hauled the man upright; Hauke struggled to lift his head, and much to Stoick's satisfaction, there was fear in his eyes. "You don't deserve to live" he declared.

* * *

The axe took Hauke's head off in one clean blow. Toothless slumped, and moved towards the ocean; the dragons nearby backed away, but Hiccup stuck to his side as if welded there. When they reached the water, Eret nervously circled around Toothless and edged his way back up towards the others.

Hiccup quietly began helping Toothless wash the blood off of himself. Adulfr remained standing on some rocks, looking out to where his dead father's ship was still moored. An awkward silence fell, and nobody was sure what to say or do. It almost felt anticlimactic. "So…this is nice. Family reunion, and uh…nothing like a vicious mauling to, ah…" Eret cleared his throat.

"Thank you, Eret" said Astrid, "We couldn't have done this without your help."

"Oh…you're welcome. It was nothing, really. All in a day's work…" he trailed off when he glanced at Valka, and winced. With a nervous laugh, he remarked "You must be, uh…"

"The dragon thief?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah…uh, no hard feelings, about all that, right? Cos I am done with trapping" Eret declared firmly, offering a hand to shake. Valka paused, but she could tell he was genuine, so she accepted the handshake and smiled warmly at him.

Stoick put an arm around her shoulders – he was never going to tire of being able to see and touch her, or Hiccup for that matter – and waved a hand at the assorted dragon riders. "Val, these are our son's friends…and girlfriend" he added slyly, gesturing to a certain blonde haired shield-maiden.

Astrid smiled and introduced herself. "Astrid Hofferson. It's an honour to meet you, Mrs Haddock."

"Oh, the pleasure's all mine, dear; and please, call me Valka."

Ruffnut looked bewildered. "Wait, so, let me get this straight. Hiccup isn't really dead, his mother isn't really dead…is there anyone else who isn't really dead?"

"Viggo isn't really dead."

"What?!"

"No, wait! My bad, he is. Dead, I mean. He wasn't really dead the first time, but now he's definitely dead. I think." Tuffnut blinked uncertainly. "What are we talking about?"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "That's Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston. Please, just ignore them" she advised Valka, who seemed slightly bewildered.

Fishlegs looked ready to burst from excitement. "So, you've been living with dragons this whole time?" he asked Hiccup's mother eagerly. "Oh my gods, you – you must have learned so much! Please, tell us everything. Oh, where are my manners? My name's Dragons and I'm the log-master of the Book of Fishlegs!" he babbled, before blinking and realising, "Wait…that's not right…"

"Slow down, lad" Gobber remarked, clapping Fishlegs on the shoulder. "We know you're more hungry for dragon knowledge than a Nadder is for chicken, but give her some breathing room, okay? It's a lot to take in."

"Right, sorry. Um…Fishlegs Ingerman. I am. Uh. It's nice to meet you."

Valka smiled kindly at him. "It's very nice to meet you as well."

Snotlout butted in, because of course he did. "Snotlout Jorgenson, at your service. You know, it was actually because of me and Hookfang that we found Eret here who led us to Drago's armada and your son. But there's no need to thank me; getting our dear Hiccup back safe and sound is its own reward."

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "Wow. You are _so_ humble" she deadpanned sarcastically. _He_ would _try to make out that this was all because of him._

Tuffnut then remarked, "Uh, I don't mean to be that guy…"

"Yeah, you do!"

"No, you're right, I do. So should I just ask about the Buffalord in the room?"

"…What Buffalord? And we're outside, duh."

"What are you two muttonheads talking about?" Astrid demanded, impatient.

"I'm just thinking, if Hiccup isn't dead – which is great, don't get me wrong, it's good to have you back, H" – here Tuffnut looked at Hiccup, who was hovering nearby with Toothless, "but um, if it wasn't _your_ body we set on fire, then who…?" Tuffnut trailed off and looked at Hiccup questioningly.

Hiccup sighed. "His name was Sigurd" he replied, before taking a deep breath and looking at Eret, who froze. "I'm sorry. About before, I mean. Toothless didn't really want to kill you. He's not dangerous, honest, it's just – Drago was – we were scared – and my friends – I couldn't – he'd have" – Hiccup rambled in stops and starts, self-consciously wrapping a hand over his cropped hair.

Eret felt sorry for the poor guy; he'd seen how Drago treated dragons and he couldn't imagine the warlord had treated his slaves any better. _I still can't believe he's dead._ "Oh, don't worry about it! Wouldn't be the first time my life's been threatened by a dragon…eh, heh…besides, I know how Drago could be."

"But you're scared of Toothless" Hiccup said sadly. Eret winced, but he supposed it had been sort of obvious. The dragon in question whined softly and looked up at him with wide pupilled eyes. It was undoubtedly cute, but Eret couldn't just forget seeing the Night Fury's mouth filled with fire, aiming right for him, or hearing the screams of that hunter, even if the guy deserved it.

"It's alright" Astrid interjected, trying to keep her voice gentle. "You don't have to be scared of Toothless, Eret. He's a good dragon…Drago made him try to kill you, and that Hauke got what was coming to him. Here, I'll prove Toothless isn't dangerous" she declared, approaching him and Hiccup cautiously. Not because she thought they would hurt her, but because she didn't want to spook them.

Slowly, she reached out a hand towards Toothless. He crooned and stepped forwards, pressing his snout into her palm. She felt him sigh in relief. "See? He's fine. You can trust him" Astrid told Eret, who was looking on in wonder. Hiccup gave her a grateful nod, and she smiled at him. Toothless pulled away from her hand and looked over at Eret, clearly wanting to make amends.

Well, Eret son of Eret was many things, but a coward wasn't one of them. So he swallowed his fear, closed his eyes and stretched a totally not trembling hand towards the Night…towards Toothless. _Odd name for a dragon_ he thought, just before he felt scales under his fingers. He gasped, eyes flying open. Toothless purred. Eret smiled tentatively. Toothless, bizarrely enough, smiled back.

Footsteps crunching on the snow made them look round as Adulfr approached. "We should thank you as well, I suppose" Astrid admitted, "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to take out the rest of those wretched hunters."

Hiccup stared at her. "You what?"

"Don't worry" she smiled reassuringly, "those horrible people can't hurt you anymore. We freed all the dragons they captured and they got…well, let's just say they met the same fate as Hauke" she finished.

"But then…why is their ship still here?" Hiccup asked nervously, looking back over his shoulder at the _Black Death_ anchored some way off shore. Toothless growled at it, wrapping a wing and his tail protectively around his other half.

Adulfr replied, "Most likely because my – former father's men were sailing the ship, and the survivors don't know how to move it."

"Th-there are survivors?" Hiccup looked fearful; he was clearly imagining dragon hunters coming after him.

"There should be. The cooks, galley girls, cabin boys, the surgeon, Onarr" Adulfr listed off, shrugging. "Everyone who wasn't a dragon hunter."

Hiccup's expression morphed from nervousness to relief and then, inexplicably, to disappointment. "…Oh. You could have let Onarr get eaten."

That was so unlike him that Astrid immediately questioned, "Who's Onarr?"

"A backstabbing git" Hiccup responded, his voice surprisingly bitter.

Adulfr more helpfully explained, "Onarr is – or was, I suppose – our ship's captain's thrall. He and Hiccup…didn't get on well. I think he told my father about Hiccup's escape plan…so it failed."

"He hates me for getting Sigurd killed and he sold me out to save his own skin" Hiccup said bitterly, "but I guess it's my own fault for trying to help the ungrateful fucking coward" he scowled, shocking everyone. It wasn't like him to be profane. Then he cringed and hurriedly said "I, I'm sorry, I shouldn't – please don't – I'm sorry!" It wasn't like him to be this apologetic, either.

"Hiccup, it's alright" – Astrid reached a hand out to him, and he flinched as if expecting to be struck. She snatched it back like she'd been burned. "It's alright" she repeated cautiously, "You've been through a lot, but that's all over now, okay? Those men can't hurt you anymore. You're safe." This time, she held her hand out more slowly, letting him decide whether to take it or not.

He hesitated, but finally reached out and held her hand. She gently tugged him closer and remarked "You know, I think you look good with short hair."

"No, I don't…do you really still want me? Even though I'm…like this?" Hiccup asked shyly, gesturing to – well, all of him.

Astrid smiled. "Maybe this will convince you" she remarked, before pulling him into a kiss. Hiccup stiffened briefly – but then he relaxed and kissed her back.

 _Hug my dad? Check. Kiss Astrid? Double check._

* * *

Adulfr turned to Eret and asked, "You can sail a ship, correct?"

"Yeah…why?"

"Because I'll need some help sailing my fa- I mean, my ship back to my village, of course" Adulfr explained, as if it were obvious.

Eret raised an eyebrow. "I'll help you get home. But do you mind if we take a detour to find my crew? It'll be easier with more than the two of us."

"Very well" Adulfr nodded.

Hiccup looked over at him after breaking from another kiss with Astrid. "Adulfr? Thank you. For – well, for everything. Helping me, and my friends…are you okay? I mean, with your dad…" he trailed off, uncomfortable. He was relieved that Hauke was dead, but the man _had_ still been Adulfr's father.

Adulfr took a deep breath and nodded. "It's for the best" he decided, "and besides, this means I'm the Chief. And I intend to be better at it than him."

Stoick remarked, "Well if you want some advice, from one Chief to another, you can start by freeing all those other thralls that your father had."

"And stop hunting dragons" Astrid added with a pointed glare.

"I can't do that. Who would do all the work? How would we get any gold?" Adulfr protested. When everyone frowned at him, he revealed "I'm kidding. I thought joking around is something that friends do?" he asked Hiccup.

Toothless rolled his eyes; Hiccup had a sudden urge to facepalm. "Uh, see, the thing is – just because I'm your friend, and they're my friends, it doesn't necessarily mean…oh, never mind. So…I guess this is goodbye" he remarked, overcoming his hesitation enough to hold a hand out to shake.

"For now" Adulfr replied, even as he shook Hiccup's hand. "You and Toothless should come visit. You can show us how to live in peace with dragons."

"I'd like that."

Adulfr looked at Snotlout. "You and your dragon should fly Eret and I onto my ship. I'd much rather not have to swim, or row in some rickety old dinghy."

"Uh, aren't you gonna say please?"

"Very well. Please."

Eret said goodbye to the riders, and a grumbling Snotlout took him and Adulfr to the deck of the _Black Death._ "Why that arrogant – how can you stand that guy?" Astrid asked Hiccup incredulously. _Then again, he has put up with Snotlout…_

"He could be a lot worse" Hiccup pointed out, "And he pretty much told me his only other friend is a wolf. Can you cut him some slack? I know he's kind of a jerk, but I trust him. Adulfr was…one of the few people on that ship who were kind to me" he confessed, looking away in embarrassment. In his head he knew he had nothing to be ashamed of, but the feeling still lingered.

Astrid sighed and nodded. Then her eyes widened and she exclaimed, "Oh! I just remembered, I have something for you. Stormfly?" She called her dragon over and rummaged in the saddlebag, lifting something out of it and hiding it behind her back. "I've been taking this everywhere…I know it's silly, but I just wanted to keep a part of you with me" she explained, holding the object out to Hiccup.

"…My leg" he murmured, reaching out to take it from her. The metal prosthetic was a familiar weight in his hands, scratched all over but sturdy. Using Toothless as a seat, he pulled off the horrid wooden peg and hurled it as far away from himself as possible. Hiccup secured his proper peg and tested his weight on it. It felt okay, but he still held onto Toothless. "Astrid…thank you. All of you, thank you so much, for everything. I…" Hiccup sniffled, "I really missed you guys."

"We really missed you, too" Astrid told him gently.

"And we're here for you, Hiccup. No matter what" Fishlegs insisted.

"We know you've had a really _Ruff_ time of it lately, but you'll pull through."

"Yeah. You're too much of a _Tuffnut_ to crack." The male twin grinned and asked "Get it? Rough? Tough nut?"

Hiccup chuckled. Toothless nuzzled him; he turned and held the dragon's head in his hands. "And thank _you._ I couldn't have gotten through this without you, bud" he murmured, resting his forehead against Toothless', "I love you."

*I love you too* Toothless purred. Then he licked Hiccup, again, and again…he was just _so_ happy, and he loved Hiccup _so_ much, and he'd even waited until _after_ Hiccup had kissed his desired!

* * *

Nobody had gotten much sleep, and they decided to get some rest before travelling back to Berk. Stoick couldn't be happier. The gods had been merciful, returning to him not only his long lost wife but also their beloved son. It had broken Stoick's heart to see Hiccup so afraid; as incredibly vicious as Toothless' mauling of Hauke had been, he didn't blame the dragon in the slightest.

From the way Toothless was nuzzling Hiccup, it was hard to believe he'd ever gone into such a bloodthirsty state. With Gobber's help, Hiccup had removed the armour, including that awful metal collar. Their little family was in Valka's cave in the Dragon Sanctuary. Hiccup had indeed been awed by the sight of it all, as had the rest of his friends, who were resting with their dragons.

His wife was trying to fix them a meal – trying being the operative word. "I'm a little out of practice" she said apologetically, after stumbling and dropping some fish on the ground. Cloud Jumper swallowed them, but when Toothless whined he took pity and spat the fish back out. Toothless happily slurped them up, ignoring Hiccup's muttered jab of "You are so gross…"

"Ah, well, I didn't marry you for your cooking" Stoick joked, before offering – purely for her own sake, of course – to take over. She nodded, secretly relieved, and moved aside. Valka's curiosity got the better of her, and she gingerly approached her son and his dragon. They both looked up at her.

"Can…can I…?" Valka reached out a hand to Toothless, but looked at Hiccup, asking permission to come closer. Wordlessly, Hiccup nodded. She let Toothless sniff at her hand – he crooned, eyes half closing, and she knelt down to caress his head. "Incredible…I've never seen a Night Fury this close. And retractable teeth!" Valka said in delight as Toothless gave her a gummy smile.

She nuzzled noses with him, and smiled at her son. "He's beautiful."

"You too…I mean, thank you! I mean, uh…" Hiccup turned red and looked away.

Valka hesitated, then reached out and cupped his cheek in her hand. He leaned into her touch. "You're welcome, dear. And you're very handsome" she complimented. The poor thing blushed even harder, bless him.

Stoick served up the meal – not much, just a fish soup – and the three of them ate, not saying much but just glad to be in each other's company. Hiccup gulped his soup down like he'd been starving (unfortunately, that might have been true) and waited for his parents to finish. When they had, he gathered the bowls up and carried them over to a trickling waterfall.

Oblivious to the concerned looks of his parents and dragon, Hiccup began washing out the bowls. "Leave that, son" Stoick dismissed the task, but Hiccup kept doing it. "Hiccup?" he prompted, a little louder.

Hiccup jumped and looked up. "Yes, sir? I mean, dad?"

"Leave the dishes. We'll wash up later" Stoick insisted.

Hiccup's brow furrowed uncertainly. "But it's one of my…chores…" He seemed to realise, or remember, that he was no longer enslaved – the bowl in his hands fell from his suddenly slack grip and tumbled down to shatter on the floor. He flinched and crouched to pick up the pieces, quickly rambling "I'm sorry, I'll clean it up, please don't – don't hit me, I" –

"Hiccup!"

At his father's exclamation, Hiccup flinched again and stammered "Y-yes sir?"

Stoick sighed. "Son" he went on, more gently, "Leave that and come sit back down, please."

Red faced, Hiccup slowly put the pieces of broken clay down and returned to his makeshift seat. He was tense as the trigger of a snare, refusing to meet their eyes. Toothless shifted and pressed his head against Hiccup's thin chest, purring; he wrapped his arms around the dragon and held on tight. "I know…" he began, voice strangled. "I need to be punished."

Toothless growled slightly. Stoick and Valka looked at each other in worry. "It's just a broken bowl. It doesn't matter" Stoick pointed out.

Hiccup shook his head. "Not…not that. I mean…for going to Myrkr alone. For c-causing so much trouble…" He sniffed and wiped his face on his sleeve.

"We're not going to punish you for that, either" Stoick said firmly, "you've been through enough."

Rather than reassuring Hiccup, as he'd hoped, this only seemed to distress his son even more. "Of course…being enslaved _was_ my punishment. Should've figured…" he muttered, voice dull. Toothless nudged at him, but he shook his head. "It's true. You know it is. It's all my fault…"

His parents were very concerned now. "Hiccup, dear…surely you don't think you deserved what happened to you?" Valka asked slowly.

He looked at her with tear filled eyes and replied, "I went to Myrkr alone, and I got an innocent man killed. Sigurd didn't deserve to die, but I…I must have…if I didn't, then why? Why did this happen? Why…why me?" Hiccup asked desperately. He broke down in tears and buried his face in Toothless' scales.

Valka looked on, feeling helpless and broken-hearted. She looked up at Stoick, who could only shake his head. It was bad enough that Hiccup had suffered so much, but for him to believe he deserved it…For a few moments, the only noises were the waterfall, Hiccup's muffled sobs, and Toothless' croons. Stoick couldn't stand it. He wanted – no, needed – happier sounds.

His wife stood up and moved to clean up the dishes…but she froze when she heard Stoick whistling. That tune…she knew it so well. "Do you remember our song, Val?" he murmured, tentative, hopeful. "I'll swim and sail, on savage seas…with ne'er a fear of drowning…" Stoick sang softly. Valka stared at him, stricken. "And gladly ride the waves of life…if you will marry me…"

He stepped towards her, reaching a hand out to stroke her cheek. "No scorching sun, nor freezing cold, will stop me on my journey…if you will promise me your heart…and love…" Stoick trailed off, hoping that she would finish the verse. When she hesitated a moment too long, he sighed and lowered his hand.

"And love me for eternity" Valka sang, catching his hand again. "My dearest one, my darling dear...your mighty words astound me…but I've no need of mighty deeds when I feel your arms around me."

"But I would bring you rings of gold, I'd even sing you poetry."

"Oh, would you?" Valka chuckled. Hiccup had stopped crying, and was looking on in wonder at something he never thought he'd see – his parents, dancing.

"And I would keep you from all harm! If you would stay beside me."

"I have no use for rings of gold, I care not for your poetry! I only want your hand to hold."

"I only want you near me!"

"To love, to kiss, to sweetly hold, for the dancing and the dreaming! Through all life's sorrows and delights, I'll keep your love beside me. I'll swim and sail on savage seas, with ne'er a fear of drowning, and gladly ride the waves of life…"

"If you will marry me…"

"If you will marry me" Valka finished, smiling, before sharing a kiss with her husband. They both looked over at Hiccup and held a hand out to him. He stood up and approached cautiously, until Toothless lost patience and simply pushed him into their arms, before poking his head into the family hug as well.

Hiccup smiled and said, "Thanks, dad, mom. I…I feel a lot better now."

"Good. And Hiccup, listen to me" Stoick said seriously, putting a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "I don't know why something so dreadful happened to you…but I know you did not deserve it. It's not your fault Sigurd died, so don't blame yourself. Now, you and Toothless should get some rest" he prompted.

Hiccup's eyelids drooped. "Yes, s-Dad" he replied docilely, yawning. His mother gave him a kiss on the forehead and stroked Toothless' nose. They curled up together in a corner of the cave, falling asleep almost at once.

* * *

The riders travelled back to Berk with an unexpected entourage. All of the armoured dragons began to follow them as they left the Sanctuary, to the alarm of everyone except Hiccup. He explained that because he and Toothless had appeared to be the ones who 'defeated' the grey Bewilderbeast, the dragons under his command would now follow the pair as their Alphas.

This had prompted Astrid to ask about something she'd been puzzled about. Namely, Hiccup telling Drago what his dragon was saying. With a lot of trepidation, he explained how he and Toothless had heart bound, and what it meant. When he learned that Hauke had gone so far as to actually try to kill his son, Stoick's only regret was that he hadn't hacked the nithingr up a bit more.

Hiccup expected them to be upset; and true, they weren't sure what to make of it, but his friends and parents were very supportive. Not just of his bond with Toothless, but of him adjusting back. He kept waking at dawn and having to remind himself that he could sleep in, that he didn't have to work all day. He still nearly said "Yes, sir" or "Yes ma'am", and cringed when he didn't.

With encouragement from Toothless, Hiccup admitted to his dad that he had never particularly wanted to be Chief, never felt he could live up to Stoick's legacy. His father reassured him that he'd already surpassed expectations, and acknowledged that he too should have made more of an effort to talk to Hiccup about the matter. Astrid was still willing to be Chief of Berk, whilst Hiccup would be co-Alpha with Toothless and the 'ambassador' between Vikings and dragons.

When Berk came into view at last, Hiccup felt his heart leap at the sight. The so familiar mountain and spire, the sea stacks and forests, the village. He had feared he wouldn't see his home again for years, that when he returned it would have changed beyond recognition. Beneath him, he felt Toothless rumble in contentment, and reached out to stroke his crown, smiling fondly.

The villagers emerged to greet the returning riders. They were quite surprised to see the assortment of armoured dragons that had followed the riders home. More shocked still when Stoick landed on the steps of the Great Hall, and on either side of him landed two people nobody expected to ever see again.

"People of Berk!" Stoick boomed out to the assembled, open mouthed crowd, "Drago Bludvist is dead, his dragons have joined us, and my wife and son are alive!" he announced. For a heartbeat, there was only silence.

Then villagers and dragons alike burst into joyous applause, cheering and roaring so the whole island echoed with it. Hiccup let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, as he looked at all the familiar faces, heard everyone welcoming them home. *It's good to be back* Toothless purred. Hiccup agreed, feeling another piece of his broken heart fall back into place. _We're home._


	15. Chapter 15 - Time to Heal

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Chapter Fifteen – Time to Heal

Hiccup frowned, still half asleep. He was…lying on something hard. He thought he might have fallen asleep on something hard, but the hard thing was…moving? Up and down, like…a boat.

His eyes snapped open. He sat up and looked around wildly, panicked. _Where am I?_ He was in the cage. On Hauke's ship. No, no, that was impossible, they got out, he and – "Toothless?!" Hiccup cried out, looking for his friend. Toothless was slumped by the bars, fast asleep. "Toothless, wake up!" he pleaded, trying to shake the dragon into wakefulness.

"He won't wake up." Hiccup gasped and scrambled backwards, staring at Hauke in horror. "Foolish boy. Did you really think it would be that easy? I know you tried to escape." Hauke held up a bloodied shard of ceramic. "You know what happens when you try to escape. Do with him as you wish." Shadowed figures closed in, hands reached out to grab him. Hiccup struggled and screamed.

"Toothless! Toothless, help! No! Let me go! Noooo!"

*Hiccup! Hiccup!*

"Toothless!"

Hiccup jerked awake, breathing hard. He was shaking all over. Toothless nuzzled and licked him, crooning. *It's okay, it's okay. You're safe. I'm here.* He clung to his dragon and shuddered. He was…in his room, on Berk, curled up with Toothless in a nest of furs on the stone slab. He was home. Hauke was dead.

"I…we were on the, the ship – Hauke knew" – Hiccup pulled his sleeve down to see the scars on his arm. "He knew I'd tried to – he said – they were gonna" –

*It's okay* Toothless crooned, holding him close. *It was just a nightmare. All of that is over now. We're home. We're safe* he insisted, pressing his snout against Hiccup's fluttering heart and purring. Slowly but surely, Hiccup relaxed a bit. He was scared to go back to sleep, though. He'd had dreams before, where he'd been at home. He wanted to stay awake and know that this was real.

Their bond conveyed all this to Toothless, who licked his temple and crooned, *Sleep, love. This is real, I promise. You trust me, don't you?*

"Always" he whispered. Toothless comforted him until, exhausted, he fell back asleep. The dragon sighed. This was not the first time Hiccup had had a nightmare about his ordeal, and it would undoubtedly not be the last.

* * *

They were both woken in the morning long after the sun had risen, by the sounds of Biters crowing on the roof and Stoick (and Valka, now, too) bustling about downstairs. For a while Hiccup was content to just lie curled up with Toothless, listening to the familiar, much missed sounds. At last his hunger got the better of him, and they rose with much yawning and stretching.

If Hiccup thought having a hot bath yesterday had been luxury, then dressing in his own clothes (the thrall clothes had been unceremoniously thrown on the fire) felt wonderful. At least it would if getting dressed did not uncover the scars and the brand that he would likely have for the rest of his life. Still, he felt better, more like his old self, when his normal clothes were on.

He and Toothless left their room and came downstairs. His father and mother were already at the table; Stoick looked up and beamed at the sight of them. "Morning, son!" he declared cheerfully, scooping a generous helping of what looked like porridge into a bowl and dunking in a spoon.

"Good morning si- dad." Hiccup caught the slip, but couldn't stop himself from flinching a bit. "Sorry. Force of habit" he mumbled apologetically as he slipped into a seat. Stoick placed the bowl of porridge in front of him and dumped a basket of fish in front of Toothless, who warbled gratefully and tucked in.

"It's okay" his mother said sympathetically, "None of us expect things to go back to normal straightaway." It was only then that Hiccup realised she wasn't actually sitting on her chair, but crouching on it like a dragon. His father hadn't said anything, so he didn't either, instead opting to eat the porridge. It was lumpy, and full of so much honey he could feel his teeth melting.

Still, after eating nothing but salty pork, fish and peas for two months it was one of the best things he'd tasted in ages. "How did you sleep?" Valka asked him.

Hiccup swallowed a mouthful and awkwardly confessed, "I, um…I had another nightmare. That I…I hadn't escaped."

"But you did" Stoick insisted, "and it's good to have you back. Both of you."

With a small smile, Hiccup replied "It's good to be back."

When Hiccup had finished, his father suggested they take a walk through the village, so he could catch up on what had been occurring whilst he was off "chasing after those friends of yours." It was a chance for the villagers to welcome Valka and Hiccup home as well. They had thrown a feast to celebrate, where Stoick explained what had happened and how things would change.

Hiccup wasn't sure about it; but then there was a knock on the door. Stoick opened it, and had to dodge a small green and orange living projectile. "Sharpshot!" Hiccup cried, as the little dragon dived into his arms. "Hey, little guy! Oh, I missed you so much, I'm so sorry…" Hiccup cuddled the squirming Terror, mindful of his sharp claws, until he remembered himself. "Uh…"

Looking up, he found that his father had let his friends in. Hiccup blinked, taken aback. Snotlout and Fishlegs had… "You – you cut your hair?" he asked uncertainly. They'd both had their hair almost shaved to the scalp.

"Oh, yeah, y'know, it needed a trim" Fishlegs shrugged, rubbing his nearly bald head.

"And besides, it saves me from having to wash it" Snotlout added.

"The escaped slave look is very in this year" announced Tuffnut, doffing his helmet to reveal he was _actually_ bald, he'd just left his dreadlocks in.

Ruffnut gave all three of them an incredulous look and demanded, "What are you talking about? I thought you did it so Hiccup wouldn't feel so self-conscious about having short hair!"

Hiccup stared at them. "You…you guys didn't have to do that" he protested.

"We wanted to" Fishlegs insisted, "We said we'd be there for you, and we meant it."

"The not having to wash our hair is just a bonus."

Astrid rolled her eyes in disgust and explained to Hiccup, "We just came to ask you if you want to come flying with us."

"Yes, please" he replied, "Just let me put Toothless' saddle on…um, where is his saddle?" Hiccup inquired, realising that he'd lost it when they were captured. Nobody could meet his eyes. He frowned, worried. "Is…is something wrong?"

"No! No" Astrid shook her head, looking sheepish. "It's just…we sort of…"

"We thought you might need them in Valhalla, so we burned them" Tuffnut announced bluntly.

"…Oh."

"It's my fault" admitted Stoick, "I suppose I wasn't thinking straight."

"Well, no…you did think I'd been…" Hiccup rubbed at his neck and decided, "It doesn't matter. I could make a new one…if that's alright?"

"Of course. Why don't you ask Gobber to help?"

"Good idea."

* * *

Hiccup's friends offered to stick around, but he said they should go have fun. Astrid insisted on staying, however, and Hiccup didn't argue. Instead he stayed close to Toothless as the five of them walked down to the forge together.

Everyone seemed happy to see him, villagers and dragons alike. They welcomed him home, offered sympathy for the plight he'd suffered, begged him to tell them what their dragons were saying…it felt strange to be asked to do things instead of ordered. The dragons bowed to Toothless-Hiccup as their Alphas; they had claimed the shared title yesterday to better mediate squabbles between the original flock and the battle-ready newcomers.

By the time they reached the forge, progress slowed by all the Vikings and dragons who wanted to come and say hello, Hiccup was feeling more at ease. He didn't expect what happened next. His dad called out to Gobber, who turned to greet them with a cheerful grin on his face – and a red hot poker in his hand.

Hiccup stared at the glowing tip and froze. _It was coming closer, too close, too hot, scorching his skin._ "No, no, no, don't, don't, please, don't! No, don't!"

"Hiccup? Hiccup!"

"Ach, Gobber, put it down!"

*Hiccup, breathe!*

Someone touched his shoulder; Hiccup wrenched himself away with a scream and reeled back against Toothless. He looked around wildly, seeing everyone staring at him, he must have freaked out and made a fool of himself, he had to get out – without a thought he scrambled onto Toothless' back. The Night Fury spread his wings, glad for once of the auto-tail, and leapt.

"Hiccup! Come back!" Stoick cried out, seeing them fly off. He was afraid to let his son or wife out of his sight, and watched them anxiously. Much to his relief, Toothless went into a dive near Raven's Point, which meant they were going to the cove. He turned to Astrid, who had tried to snap Hiccup out of the panic he'd been in, and instructed "Make sure he's okay." She nodded and hurried off.

Stormfly flew her to the cove. *Sorry, Alpha-Hiccup, but your sire is worried about you* the Spike-Tail explained as Astrid dismounted. Toothless was sitting by the lake, his wings curved around himself, obviously hiding his rider.

"Hiccup?" she called tentatively, "Are you okay?"

"…Yes" he replied after a moment, in a way that suggested the opposite.

"Are you gonna come out?"

"…No."

Astrid sighed. She had been trying to be more patient lately, so she sat down on a nearby rock, within earshot but not close enough to touch. "You didn't have to fly off, you know. Your dad's worried about you, and I bet your mom is too."

"I know. Stormfly said" he replied. Astrid looked back at her dragon in surprise, who only shrugged her wings.

"Hiccup, being battle-haunted is nothing to be ashamed of" Astrid insisted. Toothless gave a curious grunt and tilted his head at her. "What's he saying?"

"…He doesn't know what that means."

"What, battle-haunted?" she checked. Toothless gave a nod. "Oh. Well, sometimes when a warrior is in battle, and something terrible happens – maybe they see a friend die, or they nearly die, or they lose a limb…after it's over, it still haunts them. They keep reliving it, like…like a phantom pain. You know how Hiccup's leg still hurts sometimes, even though he lost it years ago?"

The dragon nodded again, and she could see the understanding bloom in his intelligent eyes. He folded back one wing to reveal Hiccup curled up, knees drawn up to his chest and arms wrapped over his head. He looked pitiful, but Astrid had never been one for pity. "You're being childish" she declared.

He looked up at that, indignant. Good. "What happened to the Hiccup who talks back?" Astrid challenged. "Who makes sarcastic, funny quips and isn't afraid to tell people what he thinks? What happened to the Hiccup I fell in love with?"

Hiccup dropped his chin onto his arms and said glumly, "He got enslaved and hit like a dog every time he said or did anything out of line."

"But _we're_ not going to hit you. Hiccup, you don't have to be afraid anymore!"

"I know!" he cried, exasperated. "But I am! I saw the poker and I was back there, being…" Hiccup pressed a hand over the slavemark and went on, "I humiliated myself in front of everyone. I ran away from my problems like I always do, even though that's what got me into this mess. It's been two months, Astrid. That's how long it took them to turn the Hiccup you knew into this…snivelling coward. Just two freaking months."

Astrid stared at him. Hiccup regretted his outburst and looked away. "Sorry."

"No…I'm the one who should apologise" she admitted, "I was being insensitive. It's just…I hate seeing you like this." Astrid hesitated, but slipped off her rock and came to kneel beside him. Toothless didn't stop her, and finally Hiccup looked at her again. "You're not a coward, Hiccup. I can't even imagine what you've been through, but whatever happens next, we can face it together."

Astrid smiled encouragingly and laid a hand on his arm…then she prodded it gently, and squeezed it. Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "…What's wrong?"

"I know this sounds odd, but can you curl your bicep, please?"

Confused, he obeyed, tensing the muscles in his arm. Astrid poked it again and her eyes widened. "Your muscles…they're stronger. I'm sure of it. And they're a bit bigger too. Here, feel mine. They feel like yours" she insisted, flexing her own arm. Hiccup didn't really see the difference, but when he poked at it, he supposed it did feel a bit stronger. "I hadn't noticed" he confessed, "though I guess I was pulling on ropes a lot…"

"I want to teach you self-defence" Astrid said suddenly.

"Um…I already know how to do that."

"Yeah, but just the basics. I think you should practise it; I can help you. It'll help you get your confidence back" she explained.

"I guess that makes sense…" Hiccup agreed slowly. "Okay. It's worth a shot…but, um, is it okay if I go and see Gobber first?"

"Of course" replied Astrid, pleased that he wasn't trying to hide away anymore. If anyone gave him any grief for struggling to cope after what he'd been through, they were going to have to answer to her.

* * *

The next day, Hiccup offered to help out at the forge. He wanted things to go back to normal, and not be afraid of hot metal. It was going well until Gobber had to go on some errand or another, leaving Hiccup and Snotlout (and Grump) alone at the armoury/dragon dentist/saddler/whatever the forge was.

They each did their own thing, Hiccup seeing to the dragons and telling their riders what they were saying; Snotlout working on mending weapons and saddles. They kept out of each other's way and got along fine. Then a familiar face strolled into the forge. "Morning, son" Spitelout greeted, "I got an axe here I need you to sharpen for me. I've got a bit of a wager going on wi' Sven about who can chop through a log quicker, and I need it in tip-top shape."

"No problem, dad" Snotlout declared, "One razor sharp axe coming right up." He missed Hiccup's wince and took the weapon straight to the grinding wheel.

"Oh, and hello, Hiccup. It's good to see you back home in one piece – apart from the obvious, o'course" Spitelout remarked, nodding to his prosthetic.

"Thanks, S-Spitelout" he replied uncertainly. "It's good to be home."

"I'll bet you wish you'd never left, eh?" Suddenly, Hiccup wanted the older man to go away. He was bringing up things that Hiccup didn't like to think about. Spitelout went on, seemingly oblivious to his discomfort. "Course, getting enslaved is a pretty extreme way for the gods to teach you a lesson, but it seems like you've learned it. 'Bout time, if you ask me."

Toothless growled. *Hiccup, tell him if he keeps talking, I'm going to bite his head off* he declared, baring his fangs at Spitelout.

"You're not gonna do that."

"Beg pardon?"

*How do you know that?*

"Because I wouldn't let you."

"What – are you talking to me, or to the dragon?"

"I was talking to Toothless. He…doesn't like what you're saying."

*I just don't like him.*

"Why? All I said was it's good you've learned your lesson. After all, if you hadn't flown off to the back o' beyond in the first place, this never would've hap" –

Snotlout abruptly reappeared. "Here's your axe" he said to his father, stone-faced. "I think maybe you should leave. We're really busy."

Spitelout's eyes narrowed. "It's rude ta interrupt yer father in the middle of a sentence, boyo. And it's even ruder to order him to up and leave."

Hiccup watched Snotlout, and saw him falter. "I, uh…I mean, you should leave because…because you don't want to be late for that competition with Sven, right? You oughta go and show him why a Jorgenson always wins their bets."

"…You know what? You're right" Spitelout declared, suddenly jovial. It was unsettling. He clapped his son on the shoulder and took the weapon back. "Thanks for sharpening it. Wish me luck – not that I need it. Spitelout, Spitelout, oi, oi, oi!" he cheered to himself as he strode off, axe slung over his shoulder.

"Yeah, you go dad!" Snotlout grinned…it vanished as soon as his father was out of sight. He sighed in relief and muttered, "That was close."

Hiccup frowned. "How come?" he asked tentatively.

"Nothing. Weren't you busy? And where the heck did Gobber get to? It's been ages!" Snotlout complained, looking around for the blacksmith.

Said blacksmith re-emerged moments later. "I'm right here, keep yer hair on."

"I don't have any."

"Whatever. Nobody made you cut yer hair off. Look, why don't you two go for a fly instead of keeping yerselves cooped up in here all day?" Gobber suggested, all but pushing them out of the forge. Hookfang wasted no time in snatching his rider up and taking to the air. Toothless reassured the new dragons watching that this was perfectly normal, then he and Hiccup followed suit.

"Snotlout, wait up!"

"Leave me alone!"

"What…did I do something wrong?"

"No. Now go away!"

*Don't take it personally, Alpha-Hiccup* said Hookfang, *He's worried his sire will punish him for disagreeing.*

"…What?!"

"I said. Go. Away."

"No, I meant – Hookfang said you're worried your dad is gonna punish you."

"You _told_ him…?! Why am I not surprised? Traitor. I knew you never liked me."

"…He says he told me _because_ he likes you. I don't understand. Why would your dad punish you, you didn't do anything wrong! And he didn't seem upset when he left" Hiccup protested. Sure, it had been a bit abrupt, but he didn't think…

"I disagreed with him. Maybe not out loud, but still….look, you wouldn't understand!" Snotlout insisted defensively. He pulled on the reins to steer Hookfang away, but Toothless intercepted them. *Wait, Hookfang.*

"Snotlout, wait! I do understand. I mean, I know what it's like to…to be scared of getting punished. I didn't before, but now I do. Honestly, I'm still scared."

"I know you know what it's like" Snotlout rolled his eyes, "Why do you think I got the others to cut their hair this short?" Hiccup stared at him in surprise. He'd thought the haircut was Fishlegs' idea. "Look, my dad…my dad's wrong, okay? But don't tell him I said that" he glared warningly.

"…I won't. Listen, um…thanks. For getting him to leave."

"Don't mention it. Really. But, y'know, if you ever…wanna talk about stuff…I won't give you any touchy-feely advice or hugs or anything, but I'll, y'know…listen" Snotlout offered gruffly, avoiding Hiccup's gaze.

His friend smiled nonetheless. "Thanks, Snotlout. And just so you know, I'll listen too. I…I think we all would" he remarked.

* * *

Over the next few days, Hiccup and Toothless began to find a rhythm again. They would wake up, go for a morning flight like they'd always done, have breakfast, solve problems for their subjects and sometimes for the villagers as well. Afterwards they'd meet up with Astrid in the training ring, for Hiccup to practise self-defence. He knew what to do – it was a matter of actually doing it.

At first, Astrid held back for fear of spooking him, until Hiccup himself asked her not to. He didn't want to be treated differently. He wanted to get over this fear of being punished, and having to face the possibility of getting hurt – he was living amongst Vikings and dragons, for Moon's sake – was the only way to do that. She retorted that he ought to quit holding back as well, he wasn't going to hurt her even if his muscles had become a bit stronger.

At some point they sent word to Dagur and Heather, that Hiccup was in fact alive. The Berserker Chief and his sister flew straight to Berk upon hearing the news. They were thrilled to see him, and extremely sympathetic to his plight. Dagur regretted that he hadn't been there to "help Toothless tear that bastard to shreds", and Heather passionately declared that she would have cleaved the monsters in half if given the chance. In their own Berserker way, they cared.

On the surface, things were good…and yet the nightmares persisted. The same two – being violated, and Sigurd haunting him. Toothless did his best to comfort Hiccup, but the nightmares took their toll. Hiccup slept less, staying awake longer in the hopes of exhausting himself so much he wouldn't have a nightmare that night. He lost his appetite. He was more irritable. Melancholia had its claws in his mind again. After three weeks, Toothless had enough.

*You can tell your parents and friends you're okay all you want, but I know you're not. They know you're not. These nightmares are hurting you, Hiccup.*

"It's just bad dreams, Toothless. They'll go away on their own."

*It's almost been a moon-turn and they haven't gone away! Hiccup, we need to strengthen our mental bond. Then I could come into your dreams and stop you having nightmares. Can't you think of a way we could do that?*

Even though he knew ignoring the problem wouldn't solve anything, that didn't make it any easier to admit… "You're right. Let's…let's go see Fishlegs."

They found him on the beach with Meatlug, meditating. Well, he was meditating, she was having a nap. "Uh, Fishlegs? You got a minute?"

"Yeah, Hiccup? What's on your mind?"

"That's, err, sort of what I wanted to talk to you about…see, I know it's been two weeks since, y'know…" Hiccup ran a hand through his hair, glad that it had finally grown back some. "I thought I'd have gotten over it by now, but…I keep having nightmares. Toothless and I…we have this sort of, mental bond, that could help me with these bad dreams, but it's really weak. I was wondering…hoping…if you knew any way we could…make it stronger?"

Fishlegs' eyes were positively shining. "You want to meditate with me?!"

"Uh…will that help?"

"Yes! Maybe. I don't see why not. Meditating is a great way to clear your mind, deal with stress…it's how I deal with the twins and Snotlout, after all. In fact, this might stop you having nightmares full stop" Fishlegs said enthusiastically.

"That would be great" Hiccup admitted, "So, um, should I…close my eyes?"

"Hang on – okay, sit down facing me, and close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through your nose…and out through your mouth. That's it. Listen to the waves. Breathe in…breathe out. Your nightmares are being washed away. There's only you…and Toothless. Imagine being tied together with – with a thread. With an unbreakable cord, that can't be cut, not even with" –

"Uh, Fishlegs? You're kinda distracting me."

"…Oh. Sorry."

Hiccup took a deep breath and tried to meditate. Toothless came to sit behind him, so he could feel the dragon breathing. He tried to breathe with Toothless. To clear his mind and focus only on the heart bind. Only on their mental link. He could feel it, tickling at the back of his mind. Just a little more…a little more…he suddenly felt like he was falling, and jerked reflexively. "Augh!"

"What's wrong?"

"I was so close! I nearly connected, I'm sure I did, but then I just…ugh, I don't understand why this is so _difficult_. We've been in a shared mindscape…dream realm…whatever you wanna call it. I can't believe the only way to get there is for me to be bleeding out- pretend you didn't hear that."

Fishlegs blinked. "Um…aren't other dragons heart bound? Maybe they have some advice that would help" he suggested.

"We tried doing what they said, but it still didn't help much…see, mental links aren't supposed to be forced" Hiccup admitted, "they just sort of…form naturally between heart bound pairs. I'd much rather just let it happen, but I…I'm so sick of these nightmares! I don't know how to make them stop. What happened is in the past, so why can't I just get over it?" he lamented.

At first, Fishlegs hesitated. He didn't think he was cut out for this… _shame on me. Hiccup's my friend, and he's hurting; I've gotta at least try to help him_. "The thing is…I don't think this is something you _can_ just 'get over'. The most you can do with bad experiences is learn from them and move forward" he tried to explain. It didn't sound as convincing when he said it out loud.

"Oh, I've learned from it alright. And I want to move forward, but…I keep having nightmares about Sigurd, you know, the guy they…" Hiccup swallowed hard and forced himself to continue. "People keep telling me what happened to him wasn't my fault, but…it was. He wouldn't have been killed if not for me. And I, I don't know – how can I forgive myself if I don't know if he would?" he asked helplessly, looking at Fishlegs as if begging him for answers that weren't there.

He sighed and slumped. "Toothless thinks I have a block. That what happened was so traumatising, my subconscious has closed off to protect itself."

"That makes sense. Trauma can do that to you…hey, Toothless? If this Alpha thing doesn't work out, you should consider becoming a therapy dragon."

Hiccup grinned a bit, amused in spite of himself. "He says he'll keep that in mind. So...do you think I can meditate this block away?"

Fishlegs bit his lip. "Well…I think, possibly, your problems are related. Maybe the reason you're having trouble connecting with Toothless is because whatever is giving you nightmares is also what's blocking you" he suggested.

"I never thought of that …Wait, but I if I need to connect with Toothless to stop the nightmares, and I have to stop the nightmares to connect with Toothless…"

"You just need to deal with whatever is giving you nightmares."

"Gee, when you put it like that it sounds simple" Hiccup said sarcastically. He didn't immediately flinch as if being struck, and felt proud of himself. Then he felt like an ass, because Fishlegs was trying to help. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that, it's just…how can I deal with it? It's not like I can send a message to Valhalla, begging for Sigurd's forgiveness. Maybe he really _is_ haunting me."

"I don't think that's true" Fishlegs said calmly. He wracked his brains for something that might help – at last, he hit on it. "Do you know what lucid dreaming is?"

"Isn't that where you know you're dreaming?"

"Yeah. Try this, okay – as you're falling asleep, repeat the words 'this is just a dream' over and over. Get that thought stuck in your head, and if you do have a nightmare, you'll still be thinking it. Then you realise you're dreaming, and you can…apologise, to Sigurd's ghost or whatever" Fishlegs shrugged. "That's the idea, anyway. Sorry, Hiccup. I wish I could be more helpful."

"Don't be sorry; you've helped plenty." Hiccup smiled at him, warm and genuine. "Thank you, Fishlegs. I really appreciate this. I'm gonna try it tonight. Who knows? Maybe this is just what I need."

* * *

Hiccup didn't manage to lucid dream, but meditating as he fell asleep did help, in a way. He had more nights of dreamless sleep, but the nightmares didn't go away. Toothless felt helpless. He wished he knew what to do or say to make Hiccup feel better, but all the reassurances in the world couldn't help. *You should talk to your parents* he insisted, but Hiccup couldn't bring himself to.

Still, bit by little bit, he felt like he was healing. The urge to say 'Yes, sir' to everything faded, as did his flinching for fear of being hit. Astrid was right; practicing self-defence and sparring like they used to _did_ help him get more confident, as it felt like how things were. Fishlegs meditation advice helped him think more clearly, during the increasingly rare times something would trigger a flashback of his ordeal. He still hoped it would help him connect with Toothless.

As for the twins…they found the discovery that dragons could understand humans to be great material for pranks. Toothless-Hiccup weren't impressed when rumours started going around of blue oleander growing in the forest, and they tracked the source of the rumour back to Barf&Belch. *Sorry, Alphas. Our riders* - *Made us do it* the Zippleback apologised.

"Guys, you can't tell the dragons there's oleander on the island. Or dragon root, or grimora, or anything else! You're lucky there wasn't an island-wide panic…oh, who am I kidding? That's probably what you were hoping for" Hiccup realised.

"As servants of Loki, it is our solemn duty to cause mischief and chaos wherever and whenever possible" Ruffnut declared, sticking her nose in the air.

"Indeed, sister of mine. Oh, but now that we have the young Hiccup in our presence, do you think that perhaps it is time we made the request of him?"

"Request? What…"

"Certainly, brother of mine! Come, Hiccup – and Toothless, obviously. Step into our domain" Ruffnut invited, pushing open the door to their hut. Half curious, and half resisting a sudden, inexplicable urge to run in the opposite direction, Hiccup shrugged at Toothless and walked inside. Toothless followed, cautious.

"Uh, guys? What is this about?" Hiccup questioned, "What request?"

"We want to ask you something" explained Ruffnut.

"Something weird. Something disturbing. Something, _something_ ….Ow!" Tuffnut winced when his sister thwacked him upside the head.

"You're making it worse. Look, it's cool if you say no. We just think it might help" Ruffnut told Hiccup, but that just left him more confused.

 _Well then again, this is the twins we're talking about._ "You think _what_ might help?" he asked, just a little exasperated. He didn't have time for this…

Ruff and Tuff looked at each other; then in unison, and rather bluntly, inquired, "Can we see your scars?"

Hiccup balked. Of all the things he could have guessed, that was not one of them. "M-my what?"

"Your scars. Y'know, from when you were a T-H-R-A-Double L" Tuffnut specified, "Can we have a look?"

"Yeah! You said you got flogged, your back must be covered in them! I bet it looks so gruesome" Ruffnut grinned, eyes glittering with macabre delight.

Hiccup suddenly felt angry. "Is that it? Everything I went through, suffered, the marks they left on me – it's all just some game to you two? You just wanna use me to get a kick out of your weird fetish, like my feelings don't matter?!"

The burst of indignation faded as soon as he saw their expressions. They looked like kicked puppies, hurt and betrayed. Hiccup felt awful. "Oh, no…I'm sorry, guys. I didn't mean…I shouldn't have said that. I just…I don't get it. _Why_ do you want to see the scars?" He should have asked that in the first place.

"We told you" Ruffnut insisted, voice small, "We thought it might help."

"We've all got scars, right, and the thing about scars is that they don't go away. You gotta learn to live with 'em" Tuffnut pointed out, "and we figured, you might feel bad about having scars from being a you-know-what, so we need to tell you how awesome they are" he explained.

*Did you understand any of that?*

"Let me get this straight" Hiccup said slowly, "You want to see the scars…so you can help me…accept them?" he asked, trying to wrap his head around the confusing world of Twin Logic. This seemed bizarre, even for them.

"Bingo! See, I told you he'd get it" Ruffnut smirked at her brother, before slumping in disappointment. "Oh, but you think it's weird…never mind…"

Hiccup sighed. He wasn't really sure about this, but the twins _were_ trying to be supportive, in their own twisted, mixed up way. He could even sort of, vaguely, get where they were coming from. "You…you wouldn't tell anyone else about this, right?" he asked cautiously. That was the last thing he needed.

"No way, Jóse" Ruffnut announced, "Our lips are sealed. We won't tell, and we won't judge" she declared firmly, pretending to lock her lips.

"You have our solemn oath as members of the Nut family tree, that none will part these lips, before they have to crack our heads open, like nuts" Tuffnut declared firmly, as he and Ruffnut held their hands up.

Hiccup took a deep breath. "What do you think, Toothless?"

*They're your scars, Hiccup. Whether or not you show them is up to you.*

He supposed there was no real reason not to…he didn't feel entirely comfortable with the idea, but something about the twins made 'normal', 'proper' and 'acceptable' fly away in their presence. "I'm in" he said.

Tuffnut slipped past him to bar the door – "to keep out unexpected guests" – and Hiccup, with a lot of trepidation, bared the thin white scars on his forearms. The twins examined them; Ruffnut even pulled out a magnifying glass (where in Thor's name had she got that from?). "Fascinating. The thinness and straightness indicate a sharp point, whilst the slight jaggedness suggests some sort of lightly serrated blade was used" she remarked thoughtfully.

"Tell us, friend, who dared use such a weapon against you? Give us their name, and we will call on Loki himself to curse all of their descendants."

"…Okay, first, I don't want you to curse anyone. Second, I never learned their names, and third…it wasn't the hunters who did this. I…I did" Hiccup confessed, looking away in shame. _Maybe this was a bad idea after all._

Ruff and Tuff glanced at each other. "Heh, heh…good one, Hiccup" Ruffnut laughed nervously, "You giving yourself scars…Wait, are you serious?" she asked. He looked up at them again and nodded slowly.

The twins actually looked worried now. "I know you think we're crazy, but that is a whole different kind of crazy. And not the fun, awesome kind either" said Tuffnut. "I mean, we hurt ourselves for fun all the time, but you…probably weren't doing that. Can we curse the descendants of whoever made you want to hurt yourself?" he asked, only somewhat hopefully.

Hiccup sighed. This felt familiar. "No curses" he repeated, before reluctantly explaining "I know it was wrong. I just couldn't stop myself. Toothless was in a coma, I was all alone…I just wanted to feel something. I just…wanted to feel in control." His breath caught in his chest, and he reached blindly for his other half, who came up to nuzzle him. *Breathe, love.*

"It's not wrong" said Ruffnut. "I mean, hurting yourself is wrong, especially if it's cos you're sad and 'melon-colic' or whatever Fishlegs said that time…but it doesn't mean you've _done_ something wrong. You shouldn't feel guilty about it."

"And it makes sense why you'd do something like that, so you shouldn't feel ashamed about it either" Tuffnut insisted. "You, uh, wouldn't do it again, right?"

"No! No, I…Toothless snapped me out of it" Hiccup explained, stroking the dragon's head fondly. He swallowed. There were more scars on his back, but revealing them meant taking his tunic off. He could feel a flashback setting in as his nerves increased, and tried to breathe slowly, to focus on the feel of Toothless' scales beneath his hand. "Um, could you guys turn around, please?

They obliged. Quickly, before he lost his nerve, Hiccup shucked off his armour and tugged his tunic over his head, and turned his back on them. Toothless bit back a whine at the sight of the horrible, jagged, puckered scars that criss-crosses his beloved's back. He loved Hiccup, scars and all, but it still made him sad and angry to see them. "You can turn around now."

The twins whirled, and stared. "Oh. My. Thor. They look awesome!"

"Loki's balls, you have some epic scars to show off!"

Toothless grunted. *I swear, if these two were a Zippleback, their names would be Crazy&Loopy.*

Hiccup suppressed a snigger at Toothless' comment. Only the twins would call scars like that 'awesome' and 'epic'. "Are they really that bad?" he asked, figuring that in Twin World, 'bad' meant 'good'.

"Oh, they look terrible" Ruffnut assured him blithely. "If anyone asks you should tell 'em you got attacked by a Razorwhip. It's a lot more impressive."

Through their bond, Toothless felt Hiccup's emotions shift from _nervous-ashamed_ to _amused_. He even smelled happier. As bizarre as it was, Ruff and Tuff actually did seem to be helping him deal with lingering shame over his scars. Hiccup turned to face them again. "I wish there was something I could do about this" he said ruefully, fingering the skin around the brand. "Drago is dead, but I still have his initials literally etched into my skin."

"Why don't you just get a tattoo? They're like brands, but with ink!"

"Yeah! You can disguise it and tell everyone the DB stands for Dragon Boy. I mean, they're just letters. Nobody's gonna know what it's supposed to mean."

"I can't believe I didn't think of that. Thanks, guys" Hiccup smiled, genuinely touched. Even if he had these scars from being enslaved, they didn't define him. "I really do feel better…but I'm gonna put my tunic back on. It's cold."

The twins let them out with entreaties to "come back anytime!" As he and Toothless caught up with things they'd missed whilst with his friends, Hiccup made a decision. It was time to tell his parents about being raped. Ruff and Tuff's unorthodox way of thinking spurred him to think outside the box, and he realised that the way to confess his secret had been obvious all along…

* * *

A/N: One more chapter to go ;)


	16. Chapter 16 - Hearts Healed

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

A/N: I just want to say a huge, massive thank you for all the reviews, follows and favourites : ) This might be the darkest story I've ever done, I wasn't sure if it would go over well, and the fact that it's been so well received means a lot.

I'll return in the new year with Book Eight of the Heart Bind Saga, and I wish you all a happy holiday whatever you celebrate ;)

Chapter Sixteen – Hearts Healed

After dinner that night, Hiccup excused himself and went upstairs to his room with Toothless. Stoick sat in his chair and whittled, humming to himself; Valka cleaned up the dishes. She might have been a terrible cook, but she could do that much at least. A feeling of peace settled over them. It felt as if this was how things had always been, even if they knew that wasn't the case.

It wasn't long before Hiccup's door opened again; but rather than come out, he simply tossed a piece of parchment, folded in such a way that it glided like a little dragon down to the floor. Before they could ask him what he was doing, Hiccup shut the door again. "What has gotten into that boy?" Stoick wondered.

Curious, Valka went over and picked up the parchment. There was writing on it; she smoothed it out and read…Valka gasped, eyes wide. Her reaction startled Stoick, who narrowly avoided whittling his fingers. "What is it, Val? What's on there?" he questioned. Irrationally, he feared that the note said that Hiccup was leaving with Toothless, that he was flying off again, but he wouldn't, surely…

Hand over her mouth, pale, she handed him the parchment. Stoick read the same words and his mouth fell open in shock. It was worse than he thought…

 _Mom and Dad,_

 _There's something I need to tell you. I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud, so I wrote it down._

 _I know you know I've been having nightmares, but I never said what they were about. The truth is, I tried to escape from Hauke, but I failed and…_

 _They raped me._ This line was even shakier, as if he'd struggled just to write it.

 _I was cutting._

 _I nearly slit my wrist._

 _I should have told you sooner, but I was scared. Ashamed. I'm sorry._

 _Hiccup._

Slowly, he looked up at Valka. Her face was ashen. So too was his, he imagined. Without a word, they both climbed the stairs to Hiccup's room. It took all of Stoick's self control not to barge in right then and there. He knocked on the door and called, "Hiccup? Your mother and I want to talk to you."

"Yeah, come in!" the reply came back. Stoick turned the handle and stepped inside, closely followed by Valka. Hiccup was sitting on the other side of the bed, with his back to them. He'd taken his tunic off, and the scars from being flogged were on full display. Silently, Valka moved to sit on his left side, gracefully climbing over Toothless, who was lying with his head in Hiccup's lap.

Stoick sat down heavily on his other side. For a long time, none of them spoke. Hiccup stroked Toothless, eyes fixed onto the top of his head. Valka reached out and placed a hand gently over his, rubbing her thumb over it. Stoick couldn't take his eyes off the lash marks. Against his will, he counted them. _Thirty_. Thirty lashes, a brand, the scars all over his forearms that he'd put on himself.

"You should have told us sooner" he said finally. It came out more gruffly than he meant it to, and Hiccup shrank in on himself. "What I mean is", Stoick went on pointedly, "you should have told us so we could tell you that you have nothing to be ashamed of. What they did to you; it wasn't your fault, and it doesn't make you weak, or any less of a man. Do you understand, son?"

Hiccup swallowed. "It wouldn't have…if the plan had worked, I'd – if I hadn't been stupid enough to tell Onarr. I tried to help him and he betrayed me!"

"Perhaps" his mother said calmly, "but he was trapped in that terrible place for much longer than you. You still had hope; he had lost his. That doesn't mean what he did was right, but there's no use holding on to your anger at him."

"Aye, your mother's right" Stoick agreed, "Holding a grudge, or blaming yourself…it feels necessary, but it just weighs you down. It poisons you. I'm not saying you have to forgive and forget, but you need to let it go."

Hiccup took a deep breath. "Toothless killed them" he said, strangled. "The men who…who raped me." He never stopped stroking the dragon, who gazed up at him with soft, adoring eyes.

"Good dragon" Stoick remarked.

"He made me swear I wouldn't try to escape again" Hiccup revealed. There was no need to ask who 'he' was. "And I did. I just wanted to be with Toothless…"

"A promise made under duress is no promise at all, son. Remember that."

Hiccup breathed harder. "They wouldn't let him eat…to punish him. For three weeks…a-and Hauke said…he said he'd g-gouge my eye out if I disobeyed again", the confession tumbled out in a rush, "and I was scared. Toothless was in a coma and I missed him so much and I – I was melancholic – I started thinking about just, y'know, ending it. But I couldn't…I couldn't do that to him…"

Tears fell from his eyes as he clutched Toothless to his chest; his other half shifted and pressed his snout between Hiccup's collarbones, purring deliberately. Hiccup pressed his face to dark scales and trembled. His mother ran her fingers through his hair; his father laid a hand on his shoulder. Neither of them pushed him, but simply waited for him to get it out of his system.

When he recovered enough to continue, Hiccup raised his head and revealed, "That's when I cut myself. I was helpless, I just…wanted to feel in control. One night…I must have fallen asleep before I could stop the bleeding, and I just – if Adulfr hadn't found me, I might have…" He gulped. "If Toothless hadn't been there, I would have died for real. He took such good care of me…"

"Oh, Hiccup" murmured Valka, still stroking his hair, "Do you even know how strong you are? You've come so far in the last couple of months. We are so proud of you" she declared. Stoick wholeheartedly agreed with her. "Is there…anything else you want to talk about?" Valka asked delicately.

He swallowed. "My nightmares, not all of them are about…that. Half of them are just – Sigurd, staring at me. Sometimes he's headless, sometimes Onarr is there…" Hiccup looked up at his dad, feeling small and vulnerable. "I know you said what happened to him isn't my fault, but…if I hadn't been captured, he wouldn't have died. How can I forgive myself if he wouldn't? Onarr never did."

Stoick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's not easy" he conceded, "Thor knows I've lost people over the years and wondered if they'd forgive me. But the sad truth is that you can never know. You just have to try to forgive yourself. It's hard, I know – but like I said before, clinging to guilt and shame does nothing but hurt you more. Sigurd was given a warrior's funeral; whatever he suffered as that wretch's thrall is over now, and he's been laid to rest."

Hiccup took a deep breath. He had considered that, and Toothless had pointed it out, but somehow it felt more certain when his father told him. "I'll try" he murmured. "I'll try to forgive myself." His tunic was draped over his knees; he pulled it on, wincing slightly as the material caught on scarred skin. Then he yawned. "Thank you" he smiled gratefully at his parents, "I love you both."

Stoick and Valka put their arms around his shoulders; he slipped his arms around their waists. "Aye, we know. And even if we don't always say it…"

"We feel the same way."

* * *

Hiccup and Toothless went to bed soon after. He'd gone so far as to bring his bed straight to the slab, so he could sleep with Toothless every night. As he lay there covered with a blanket and a wing, deep dragon breathing close by, Hiccup repeated the nightly mantra. _This is just a dream. This is just a dream. This is just a dream. This is just a dream. This is just a…_

He opened his eyes. He was standing – somewhere – and Sigurd was right in front of him. Hiccup panicked for a moment, but then he remembered – _This is just a dream._ "This is just a dream" he felt himself say aloud. "Just a dream, just a dream…I'm sorry, Sigurd. I never wanted you to die. I would have saved you if I could. But Hauke can't hurt you anymore. Can you forgive me?" he whispered.

For the first time he could remember, the ghost of Sigurd smiled. "Yes" he replied. It was the first time he had spoken. "You can fight them" he said, before fading from view. Hiccup was in a ring – just like the training ring.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself. Hauke appeared and advanced on him. Hiccup stood his ground, raised his fists. "This is just a dream. You're dead, and good riddance. But that won't stop me from beating you. I am not your prisoner anymore. I am not your thrall. You want me? Come and get me!"

Hauke lunged at him. Hiccup dodged and struck out, hard and fast, darted away. Just like he'd practiced over and over again with Astrid. Hauke cursed him. "Brat! I'm going to flog your hide off!"

"You'll have to catch me first" Hiccup taunted. He felt faster, stronger, more alert; even though it was a dream. "Whip me all you want; these scars are not who I am." He got a couple of good blows in and wrapped his hands around Hauke's neck. Hauke did the same to him, and they struggled, both trying to choke one another. "You tried to break me" Hiccup gasped out, "but you just made me stronger!" He put all his strength into squeezing the life out of Hauke.

With a sudden bang, like a sheep-bladder ball popping, Hauke's head exploded. "Augh!" Hiccup screamed, lurching backwards. The corpse crumpled to the ground like a bloody rag doll. "Eugh" Hiccup grimaced. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly, calming himself down. _Just a dream. Just a dream._

When he opened his eyes, the corpse was gone, but the men who raped him were there. Hiccup braced himself. "I just squeezed your crazy boss' head right off his shoulders. I'll do the same to you if you come any closer" he warned. They advanced on him anyway. He closed his ears to their taunts and raised his sword. Where had he gotten the sword from? Oh, right. Dreaming.

Occasionally, Astrid had enlisted Snotlout and the twins help to teach Hiccup how to fend off multiple attackers. This was no different, he told himself firmly. Besides, the monsters weren't armed. He dodged them, circling, never staying in one place and striking out with the weapon whenever he could. They cursed his name. He cursed them back and kept moving, kept fighting with all he had.

The first monster fell to a blade through the throat. Awake, Hiccup would only kill as a last resort, but this time he didn't hold back. "I'm not your victim anymore" he growled as he lopped the arm off the second monster and stabbed him, "I'm never going to let myself be hurt like that again. I'm not afraid of you! I. Am. Not. Afraid!" he shouted as he slashed the third monster's head off.

The corpses suddenly disappeared. Just like that. Hiccup fell to his knees and panted, as if he'd just run a marathon, or stayed in the high thin air too long. Shakily, he stood up and walked over to the gate into the training ring. He pushed down the lever to raise the portcullis, and slipped underneath it. Hiccup closed it again, and then he snapped the lever so it couldn't be opened again.

*Hiccup.* He heard that most beloved voice behind him and spun round.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried out in delight, rushing to embrace his dearest one. His other half nuzzled him back and purred. *You did it, Hiccup. You fought your demons and you won. I'm so proud of you* Toothless warbled, smiling at him.

He felt proud of himself, too. At last, he'd found the strength to let go of his guilt over their capture and Sigurd's death; to let go of his fear of Hauke and what he and the monsters did to them. "Thanks, buddy. It's…it's okay that I killed them, right? It's just a dream. It doesn't mean that I'd really do that to my enemies…right?" he inquired, wanting, perhaps needing, the reassurance.

*It's okay* Toothless soothed, *That's not who you are. Striking fear into the hearts of our foes and threatening to tear them to shreds is what _I'm_ here for.*

Hiccup chuckled. " _Over-protective reptile"_ he thought aloud – literally.

"Woah! That's new."

" _Are we gonna hear all my thoughts? I hope" –_ "not, okay, that's gonna get annoying really fast."

*I think you might have lowered your mental walls a bit _too_ much.*

"Well, help me change it back!"

* * *

The next morning, Toothless-Hiccup clattered downstairs after a nice lie-in. "Morning, mom. Morning, dad" Hiccup said cheerfully as he smeared a slice of bread with honey and bit off about half at once. His parents looked bemused.

"Good morning; well, you seem very chipper today" Valka noted, though she couldn't help but smile. It was good to see him happy, especially after last night.

"Toothless and I finally connected again" he explained, voice muffled by bread.

"Don't talk with your mouth full" Stoick chided him.

Hiccup swallowed and inquired, "Dad, can I get a tattoo?"

"What- a tattoo? What in Thor's name do you want one of those for?"

"To disguise the – the brand. Please, dad? I'm even asking permission! Even though I'm technically old enough to just get one…" he said pointedly.

"Hiccup, you know getting a tattoo _hurts,_ right? Especially if you do it near a scar like that."

"Yeah…but it wouldn't be a very _big_ tattoo. And I'm not a weakling! I mean, come on, if I could handle getting whipped I can handle this. And besides, I _have_ to disguise the brand. For…for my own safety. You don't want someone thinking I'm a slave and carting me off again, do you?"

Stoick looked at his wife and remarked, "He's definitely feeling better."

Valka smiled, amused, and turned to the Night Fury in the room. "What do you think, Toothless? Do you know what a tattoo is?" she wondered. He nodded.

"Do you know how they're made?" Stoick challenged. Toothless shook his head.

Hiccup cringed. "Err, y'know, we don't need to get into that"- he tried to protest, only for his father to shush him like he was a little boy. Stoick told Toothless how tattoos were made, and the dragon's eyes went wide. Then he glared at Hiccup and growled. "Oh, come on! This is why I didn't tell you, cos I knew you'd freak out….I was gonna tell you, just…when we were there…"

Stoick and Valka couldn't hear Toothless' thought-speak, but his body language was clear as day. "It won't be that bad" Hiccup insisted, "And you can't stop me. I only asked permission so I wouldn't get lectured…err…" He grinned sheepishly when he remembered that his parents were right there. "Heh, heh…"

"Can you afford a tattoo? Thornbush won't do it for free, you know, even if you are my son" Stoick informed him.

"I'll use my allowance" Hiccup answered straightaway, "Or I'll trade him something, I don't know. I just really want to make the brand look less…obvious. I'm sick of looking at the damn thing" he grumbled, glaring at his shoulder as if he could see the brand through his clothes.

"Did you have anything particular in mind?" inquired Valka. "After all, it would be permanent. You don't want to get a tattoo you dislike."

"I know. Maybe I can sketch something out for him; I was thinking of trying to make it look like Toothless, and the mark would be his tail…oh, hush, you" he said dismissively to the dragons' grumbling.

"It's no good, Toothless" Stoick huffed, "You know what he's like when he gets his mind set on something." Toothless rolled his eyes in exasperated agreement. "Son, you're old enough to make your own decisions. If you really want to get a tattoo, then go ahead. Just don't complain if it doesn't turn out right."

Hiccup nodded. "I won't. And it will. Thanks, dad. I'll see you both later, bye!" he called as he slipped out of the door with Toothless.

"It's good that he's recovered so much."

"Aye. At least he's _trying_ to behave himself…"

Hiccup sketched out a design for the tattoo in his notebook and showed it to Thornbush, the tattoo artist on Berk. He wanted two tail fins at the lower end, wings spread out from the upper curve, and a stylised Night Fury head on top. Coloured in black. Except for the tail-fin on the left, which would be red.

Thornbush warned him it would hurt. A lot. "I'll be fine" Hiccup insisted, "I've felt worse. You should see my back, it's a mess." His talk with the twins the day before made it easier to pull off his tunic to lay the brand and scars bare.

Whilst the tattoo artist prepared his tools, Toothless grumbled *I don't like this. It was bad enough when you hurt yourself on purpose the first time.*

Hiccup stroked his head and whispered, "This isn't like last time. I'm not hurting myself out of despair…I'm not even going to hurt myself. He is." Toothless' glare spoke volumes about what he thought of that little joke.

"You ready?" Thornbush asked him. Hiccup took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

Well, hurt it certainly did. The pain reminded Hiccup of when Toothless was blasted by that Scauldron, but not quite so intense. He focused on breathing, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the table edge. With his other arm he held onto Toothless, partly for the comfort and partly to keep him from shoving away, growling at or otherwise distracting the tattoo artist.

* * *

It was totally worth it, though. "Wow, Hiccup, that looks amazing!" Astrid complimented, when he showed the tattoo off to his friends later.

"Turning the slavemark into a dragon-mark, that's ingenious" Fishlegs added.

"Actually, it was the twin's idea" Hiccup smiled at them. They looked surprised to be acknowledged. "I can't thank you guys enough. Everything you've done for me…your support" he said to Snotlout, "your training", to Astrid, "your advice", to Fishlegs, "your…talk" to the twins, "It all helped me get over the mental block I had and connect with Toothless. I won't have so many nightmares anymore."

"You are very welcome, my good sir!" Tuffnut declared, bowing exaggeratedly. The others agreed wholeheartedly, and they shared a big group hug.

Astrid smiled and gave him a kiss. "You've really come a long way. So does this mean you're putting what they did to you behind you?" she inquired.

"I'm ready to" he nodded, "I spent so long being afraid…and well, now I don't feel afraid anymore. It's time I accept what happened and try to move on."

Snotlout asked, "So what does Toothless think of your tattoo?"

"Don't you mean, Tat-Toothless?" Ruffnut grinned. "Get it? Cos it looks like" –

"Yeah, we get it" Snotlout insisted, rolling his eyes.

"Well, let's just say he wasn't pleased when I was having it done" Hiccup confessed, "but he's _flattered_ that I made it look like him, right, bud?"

Toothless' response was to lick him repeatedly. Spluttering, he held the dragon back with one hand whilst trying to wipe his face off with the other. Then he smeared the sticky spit over Toothless' face in revenge and laughed at his indignant expression. "Serves you right" he teased, grinning.

"Uh, wait, so does he like the tattoo or not?"

"Yeah, Tuff. Or at least he likes that I like it" Hiccup smiled, peeking at the mark again. The dark scar of the brand blended in with the jet black ink, and he felt much better with it there. A mark he had chosen, a mark of pride instead of shame, was just what he had needed.

"Cool. I'm gonna get a tattoo; I wanna get flames across my back!"

"You idiot, you already have a tattoo."

"I told you, that's a birthmark!"

"What sort of birthmark looks like that?!"

"You can't even see it, it's under my clothes!"

"But I know what it looks like, and it's a tattoo." Ruff stuck her tongue out.

"Argh!" Tuffnut looked ready to jump on her, but Astrid batted them apart.

"Would you two muttonheads give it a rest? You're almost twenty, for Thor's sake" she huffed in exasperation. Were these two _ever_ gonna grow up.

Hiccup laughed. He was probably going to be frustrated by the twins again at some point, or annoyed by Snotlout, but he didn't care. At least he was around to be driven crazy by them. "Toothless and I were gonna go check on our subjects out on Dragon Island" he said aloud, "Do you guys wanna come? We could, y'know, hang out, like old times."

"Good idea."

"Like you've gotta ask."

"Last one there is an egg-for-brains!"

* * *

Hiccup couldn't have stopped smiling even if he'd wanted to. He'd never thought he'd come back here, to Myrkr, but it was better this time. His friends were flying alongside him, and they would look out for each other.

It had been six months since he and Toothless were first taken prisoner; but that was in the past. Their hearts were healing. Hiccup no longer had nightmares, he had let go of his guilt and shame. He felt stronger than ever, both his body and his mind. Now, they were returning to that mysterious land in order to complete the quest they'd set out on in the first place – finding Night Furies.

Before coming up here, they had travelled further south to visit Raudabein, Adulfr's home village. His first act as the new chief had been to declare the thralls to be freedmen. Many of the newly emancipated slaves had gone on to court and even wed the widows of the hunters who had been killed.

The dragon riders were there at Adulfr's invitation, but there was still some trepidation on their part. They were, after all, the same people who had attacked this village the year before…and gotten a lot of their people killed…Hiccup was especially nervous about meeting Adulfr's mother, Kalda. Would she blame him and Toothless for her husband's execution?

She didn't. In fact, _she_ apologisedto _him_ for the terrible way her ex had treated him. That wasn't the only unexpected apology he received. Onarr came up to them – Hiccup didn't even recognise him at first, with his new clothes and longer, curly hair – and nervously said "Hiccup? I, I'm sorry. I was a fool, I thought there was no other way, but that's no excuse for I did" –

"Onarr! It's alright. I forgive you" Hiccup interjected.

"Y-you do?"

"I forgave you a long time ago" Hiccup admitted, "Someone much wiser than me once told me that holding a grudge was like poisoning yourself. I understand why you did what you did. Can…can you forgive me?" he asked cautiously.

Onarr took a deep breath and nodded. "I think I can. So…truce?" he suggested, holding a hand out to shake.

Hiccup smiled and returned it. "Truce." He offered Onarr a ride on Toothless (*You could have asked _me_ first!*), but it was declined.

It was whilst they were in Raudabein that Hiccup suggested they have a look for Night Furies. If they were here at Myrkr anyway…it meant they'd be a bit delayed getting home, so his father wouldn't be happy about that, but he'd understand. Probably. He'd half expected the others to protest, say it was too dangerous, but they were all on board.

They had made camp in the foothills of a mountain range, not far from Hauke's now abandoned campsite. The remains of which they may or may not have had a lot of fun burning to a crisp and filling up the pit with boulders. Hiccup was taking first watch, too excited by the prospect of encountering more Night Furies to sleep. Toothless stayed awake with him, watching the sky.

It was a clear night, so their first glimpse of Night Furies was just that – a glimpse. A shadow flitting across the sky, briefly covering the stars. It was over so fast that they weren't sure what they'd seen, but then came the unmistakable high pitched screech of a Night Fury diving to the attack. Toothless covered Hiccup with his body and fired a blast to intercept it.

The explosion of two fireballs colliding above them, and his roar of *Wake up!* had all the dragons startled awake, and their riders too. "Stay together!" Hiccup warned as they gathered in a defensive circle. One by one, dark shapes dropped from the sky. Soon they were surrounded by three Furies – one with orange eyes, one with yellow, and one with green. All three of them were snarling.

The other riders made noises of amazement at the sight of them. Hiccup listened to the thought-spoken conversation and translated it for his friends. "Toothless is telling them we're no threat…they don't like humans…I don't believe it!" he breathed, staring at the green eyed Night Fury that Toothless was talking to in surprise. Both his dragon and the wild one looked shocked as well.

"Hiccup? What is it?" Astrid questioned nervously, patting Stormfly's neck to calm them both down.

He pointed at the wild Fury that was staring Toothless down, and revealed, "That one…he called Toothless 'Midnight' and…Toothless called him brother."

* * *

A/N: And everything comes full circle! Hiccup and Toothless are Alphas, Astrid is going to be Chief of Berk, and now they're going to meet Shadow, Selena and the other Night Furies of the Myrkr nest. All the loose ends are tied up ;)


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